LTBEARY 

PRINCETON.    N.  J 

5  .J8  J8  1^ 
Junkin,  D.  X.  1808-1888. 
The  Reverend  George  Junkin 


-*&*  xi.  w 


GEORGE  JUNKIN,  D.D.,  LL.D. 


L/^^ 


THE   REVEREND 


GEORGE  JUNKIN,  D.D.,  LLD. 


HISTORICAL    BIOGRAPHY. 


BY 

D.   X.   JUNKIN,   D.D. 


"  Not  slothful  in  business;  fervent  in  spirit ;  serving  the  Lord." 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.    B.    LIPPINCOTT    &    CO. 

1871. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  by 

J.    B.    LIPPINCOTT    &    CO., 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


PREFACE. 


NO  man  liveth  to  himself,  and  no  man  dieth  to 
himself."  However  humble,  in  point  of  en- 
dowments, education,  resources,  or  social  position, 
each  member  of  the  human  family  stands  so  related  to 
others  and  to  the  whole,  that  his  life  and  death  must 
affect  others  for  weal  or  woe.  Each  individual  makes 
the  world  different  from  what  it  would  have  been 
without  him  ;  and  it  is  a  process,  by  no  means  useless 
or  uninteresting,  to  trace  the  relations  of  the  individual 
to  society,  and  the  influence  which  he  imparts  to  or 
receives  from  it.  It  is  by  this  process  that  the  philos- 
ophy of  life,  individual  and  social,  is  to  be  ascertained, 
and  its  lessons  made  available. 

The  spirit  of  inspiration  recognizes  these  great 
truths,  not  only  in  the  Scripture  cited  above,  but  in 
many  others,  and  in  the  fact  that  the  Holy  Book  is 
largely  occupied  with  biographical  sketches  of  the 
godly  and  the  wicked  that  have  lived  of  old ;  the  one 
class  being  designed  for  examples,  the  other,  for  zvarn- 
ings,  to  those  who  should  live  after.  Inspired  biog- 
raphy, it  is  true,  is  the  only  infallible  record  of  the 
kind ;  and  it  is  in  reference  to  it,  doubtless,  that 
the  apostolic  exhortation  is  given,  "  Be  ye  followers 
(imitators)  of  them  who,  through  faith  and  patience, 
inherit  the  promises."     But  inasmuch  as  the  ordinary 

i*  (v) 


vi  PREFACE. 

grace  of  God  produces  similar  results  in  the  formation 
of  character,  in  whatever  age  or  nation  its  subject  may 
live,  the  record  of  children  of  God  who  have  been 
illustrious  for  natural  endowments,  great  attainments, 
or  valuable  services  may  be  greatly  useful,  even  when 
penned  by  uninspired  agency.  The  life  of  a  Payson 
may  prove  as  beneficial  as  that  of  a  Paul,  saving  the 
fallibility  of  the  record  ;  for,  apart  from  his  inspiration, 
Paul  was  a  mere  man,  and  the  grace  of  God  which 
made  him  what  he  was,  was  the  same  that  wrought  in 
Payson,  and  the  God  of  grace  is  entitled  to  a  revenue 
of  glory  from  every  generation  of  men.  It  is  well  to 
mark  the  progress  of  the  Saviour's  work  as  illustrated 
in  each  successive  age,  and  in  every  land  ;  and  the 
very  peculiarities  of  each  become  instructive,  and  im- 
part a  freshness  to  the  lessons  derived  from  the 
examples  of  the  holy. 

There  is  one  characteristic  of  inspired  biography 
which  we  in  vain  expect  in  any  merely  human  writing, 
— that  is,  its  uncompromising  faithfulness.     It 

"  Nothing  extenuates,  nor  sets  down  aught  in  malice." 

Unlike  all  human  narratives,  it  records,  with  severe 
accuracy,  the  faults,  as  well  as  the  virtues,  of  its  favorite 
characters.  Its  portraits  are  sternly  truthful  ;  it 
knows  no  flattery  ;  its  characters  are  truthfully  human. 
From  an  American  biography  of  our  beloved  and 
revered  Washington,  no  one  can  gather  that  he  had 
any  faults  or  frailties  ;  but  when  the  character  of  the 
prince  of  the  patriarchs,  or  of  the  Washington  of  Israel, 
is  portrayed,  their  faults  and  frailties  are  faithfully 
recorded.  The  sacred  biographies  are  no  fancy 
sketches,  but  are  drawn  unerringly  from  life.     Were 


PREFACE.  vii 

there  no  other  proof  of  the  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures, 
this  characteristic  alone  would  mark  the  Bible  as 
divine,  and  prove  that  its  writers  must  have  been  con- 
strained by  the  spirit  of  truth  faithfully  to  record 
facts,  which  stain  the  reputation  of  their  favorite 
personages,  and  which  pride  and  patriotism  would 
tempt  them  to  suppress. 

To  such  perfection  of  faithfulness  the  writer  of  the 
following  biography  does  not  lay  claim, — he  is  con- 
scious of  a  love  and  veneration  for  its  subject  that 
might  swerve  to  partiality  a  sterner  nature  than  his 
own, — but  it  has  been  his  aim,  and  his  prayer,  and  his 
steadfast  effort  to  be  faithful  to  truth  in  the  array  of 
facts  ;  and  to  let  the  facts,  rather  than  epithets,  portray 
the  life  of  the  man  and  the  minister  whose  story  he 
here  places  on  record.  Conscious  that  the  task  is 
dictated  by  fraternal  love,  such  as  rarely  glows  in 
human  hearts,  and  by  a  reverence  almost  filial,  which 
the  close  familiarity  of  fifty  years  has  never  abated, 
he  has  striven  to  guard  against  the  errors  into  which 
such  feelings  might  betray  him  ;  and  he  fears  that  he 
has  sometimes  become  frigid,  in  his  effort  to  avoid 
fervor.  But  if  he  has  erred  in  this  direction,  the  pecu- 
liarity of  his  theme  seemed  to  demand  it. 

It  was  the  lot  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir  to  live 
through  times  of  great  public  agitation,  both  in  church 
and  state.  He  sustained  peculiar  relations  to  the 
educational  interests  of  both  ;  and  in  the  doctrinal 
discussions  and  ecclesiastical  movements  of  his  era  he 
bore  a  prominent  part.  It  is  too  early  yet  for  the 
verdict  of  posterity  and  of  history  to  be  calmly  and 
dispassionately  rendered,  in  regard  to  these  great 
events  in  which  he  was  an  actor ;  and  this  fact  has 


viii  PREFACE. 

embarrassed  his  biographer,  for  it  has  kept  him  con- 
stantly on  his  guard,  lest  any  statement  should  receive 
a  partisan  tinge.  Against  this  he  has  watched  and 
prayed ;  and  he  ventures  to  hope  that  the  truthfulness 
and  fairness  of  his  record  will  not  be  questioned  by 
impartial  minds. 

The  biographer  found  it  impossible  to  do  justice  to 
the  immediate  subject  of  his  memoir,  without  putting 
on  record  more  of  the  general  history  of  the  times  in 
which  he  lived  than  usually  pertains  to  the  narrative 
of  an  individual  life.  Dr.  Junkin  was  so  involved  in 
some  of  the  most  important  movements  of  the  period 
in  which  he  lived,  that  to  attempt  to  isolate  his  in- 
dividual history  from  them  would  destroy  at  once  the 
completeness  and  the  fairness  of  the  narrative. 

The  reader  will,  therefore,  find  upon  the  following 
pages  much  of  the  history  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States  for  the  last  forty  years,  with  links 
of  connection  joining  it  with  her  preceding  history. 
This  includes  the  history  of  opinion  in  regard  to 
doctrine,  order,  and  missionary  organization,  and  effort. 

It  is  always  a  delicate  task  to  write  the  history  of 
opinion,  and  especially  of  controversy.  The  difficulty 
is  increased  when  persons  have  been  involved  and 
parties  arrayed.  If  a  writer  has  no  opinions  of  his 
own,  he  is  wholly  unfit  for  the  undertaking  ;  if  he  has, 
he  will  be  suspected  of  partiality  to  his  own  side.  The 
author  of  this  book  does  not  pretend  so  to  have  per- 
formed such  a  difficult  task  as  to  place  him  beyond 
such  a  suspicion.  But  of  one  thing  he  is  conscious, 
that  he  has  aimed  at  impartiality  and  fairness  of  state- 
ment, and  that  he  has  endeavored  to  make  charity 
his    amanuensis,    especially    when    historic    faithful- 


PREFACE.  ix 

ness  required  the  record  of  facts  which  piety  might 
deplore. 

Dr.  Junkin  had  preserved  files  of  his  life-long  corre- 
spondence, arranged  according  to  date.  From  these, 
and  from  documentary  sources,  the  narrative  has  been 
chiefly  drawn.  Among  his  papers  was  found,  after 
his  decease,  the  commencement  of  a  record  of  his 
personal  reminiscences,  which  was  begun  soon  after 
his  exodus  from  Virginia,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
civil  war ;  but  the  hurry  and  excitement  of  the  events 
of  that  fearful  struggle  called  him  into  activities  that 
prevented  the  prosecution  of  the  record  beyond  the 
period  of  his  early  manhood.  It  was  evidently  de- 
signed only  for  the  private  reading  of  his  children  and 
immediate  friends,  not  for  more  public  use  ;  and  whilst 
it  has  been  of  great  service  in  ascertaining  the  incidents 
of  his  early  life,  it  is  not  in  a  shape  to  be  used  except 
in  occasional  quotations.  This  use  has  been  made  of 
it,  and,  it  is  hoped,  with  advantage  to  the  narrative. 
Where  quotations  have  been  made,  reference  is  made 
thereto  by  the  letters  "  Rem." 

The  following  is  the  introduction  to  these  notes, 
from  memory,  which  we  insert  by  way  of  showing 
their  object: 

"  REMINISCENCES. 

"  At  the  earnest  and  oft-repeated  request  of  my  dear 
brother,  D.  X.  Junkin,  I  have,  at  last,  and  perhaps  too 
late  for  completion,  undertaken  to  put  down  a  few 
personal  recollections ;  the  perusal  of  which  may 
afford  pleasing  and  mournful  interest  to  my  surviving 
friends.  An  autobiography,  begun  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one,  must  necessarily  be  defective  ;  especially, 


x  PREFACE. 

as  in  this  case,  where  no  diary  has  been  kept.  All  I 
propose  is  a  record  of  such  events  as  have  left  an  im- 
pression upon  my  memory ;  with  such  occasional 
remarks  as  may  be  useful  to  my  children  and  my 
children's  children. 

"  That  the  record  may  be  blessed  to  their  spiritual 
benefit,  is  my  sincere  prayer  and  ardent  hope. 

"  GEO.  JUNKIN. 

"  Price  Street,  Germantown. 
"Aug.  27,  1861." 

The  work  has  been  prepared  under  the  pressure  of 
a  severe  bodily  affliction,  and  amid  the  many  toils, 
and  cares,  and  interruptions  incident  to  a  large  pastoral 
charge  and  other  public  duties.  And  it  is  commended 
to  the  candor  and  forbearance  of  the  public,*  with  the 
hope  and  the  prayer  that  it  may  be  the  humble  instru- 
ment of  good. 


LIFE 


DR.  GEORGE  JUNKIN. 


CHAPTER   1. 

Descent — Parentage — Family — Incidents  and  Traditions  in  Family  History 
— Immigration — American  Home — Nativity. 

"/^VF  my  family  I  know  but  little,"  said  the  subject  of 
V /  this  memoir,  in  the  notes  mentioned  on  the  pre- 
ceding page.  "Heraldry  has  not  blazoned  its  name. 
Edmonson's  book  contains  it  not."  But,  if  not  written 
in  books  of  earthly  heraldry,  the  names  of  many  of  his 
ancestors  are  recorded  in  a  more  ancient  and  enduring 
volume, — "the  Lamb's  book  of  life."  His  lineage  was 
of  that  stalwart,  godly,  and  heroic  race,  the  Puritans 
(Covenanters)  of  Scotland ;  the  men  and  the  women  who 
braved  persecution  for  Christ's  crown  and  covenant;  and, 
despite  the  curses  of  the  Charleses  and  the  claymores  of 
Claverhouse,  witnessed  so  long  and  so  steadfastly  for  God 
and  his  truth. 

When  the  second  George  was  upon  the  British  throne; 
when  Pennsylvania  was  a  nascent  province  only  fifty-six 
years  old  ;  when  the  Susquehanna  flowed  through  an  al- 
most unbroken  wilderness,  there  crossed  that  river,  at 
Harris's  Ferry,  now  Harrisburg,  two  youthful  Scotch-Irish 
immigants — Joseph  Junkin  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife.  They 
had  been  married  a  short  time  before,  probably  at  the  place 
where  Oxford,  Chester  County,  now  stands,  having  the 
year  before  arrived  from   their   native   country,   landing 


12  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK-IN. 

most  probably  at  New  Castle,  Delaware.  A  previous  im- 
migration of  Junkins  had  halted  and  acquired  lands,  upon 
a  part  of  which  the  town  of  Oxford  now  stands.  They 
were  uncles  and  cousins  of  Joseph,  who  probably  remained 
with  them  for  a  few  months  ;  but  soon  plunged  into  the  wil- 
derness of  what  is  now  Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania. 

This  Joseph  Junkin  came  from  Antrim  County,  Ireland. 
His  father  and  mother  had  immigrated  to  that  country 
from  Scotland  during  the  persecution  under  the  Stuarts. 
They  were  Covenanters  of  the  straitest  type,  and  left  their 
country  for  conscience'  sake.  This  migration  occurred 
some  time  before  the  revolution  of  1688.  The  Junkin 
family  had  resided  near  Inverness,  and  the  name  is  prob- 
ably of  Danish  origin,  and  they  were,  most  likely,  of  the 
number  of  those  adventurers  from  Denmark  which,  at  an 
early  period,  took  possession  of  parts  of  the  coast  of  North 
Britain. 

The  paternal  grandmother  of  Dr.  Junkin  was  Elizabeth 
Wallace,  also  of  Scottish  parentage ;  her  mother  having 
come  from  Scotland  previous  to  the  siege  of  London- 
derry ;  for  she  was  in  that  city,  and,  with  her  family, 
endured  the  horrors  of  that  siege,  successful  resistance  to 
which  gave  William  of  Orange  that  vantage  which  estab- 
lished him  upon  the  British  throne, — the  champion  of  the 
Protestant  religion  and  the  liberties  of  the  world.  "She 
heard  the  booming  of  many  a  cannon  of  the  allies  of  the 
Stuarts ;  and  she  saw  from  the  walls  of  glorious  old  Derry 
the  smoke  of  the  most  important  gun  ever  fired, — the  lee- 
gun  of  the  Mountjoy,  whose  rebound  righted  the  ship, 
broke  the  boom,  relieved  the  starving  city  and  garrison, 
forced  the  allies  to  raise  the  siege  and  fall  back  upon  the 
Boyne,  where  the  arms  of  William  and  of  liberty  tri- 
umphed, and  completed  the  glorious  revolution  of  1688."* 

*  Reminiscences. 


BIRl^H. 


13 


In  the  estimation  of  military  and  political  philosophers, 
Derry  was  the  key  of  that  great  conflict. 

There  is  a  tradition,  derived  from  this  grandmother,  dif- 
fering somewhat  from  that  mentioned  by  Charlotte  Eliza- 
beth, and  more  probable  than  hers.  During  the  siege,  and 
when  starvation  was  nigh  accomplishing  what  French  artil- 
lery had  failed  to  do, — when  roasted  rats  had  become  a 
luxury, — empty  barrels  were  carried  in  the  night  to  the 
public  square  (or,  rather,  the  ellipse)  of  the  town,  and  so 
placed  that  they  could  be  seen  from  the  enemy's  lines,  and 
upon  their  upturned  bottoms  a  little  meal  or  lime  was 
spread  ;  and,  in  the  morning,  motions  made  as  if  meal  was 
being  distributed  to  the  people,  thus  producing  the  impres- 
sion that  abundant  provisions  had  been  thrown  in. 

Joseph  Junkin,  Sr.,  and  Elizabeth  Wallace  were  married 
after  arriving  in  America,  and  located,  as  already  stated, 
in  what  is  now  Cumberland  County,  where  he  "took  up" 
five  hundred  acres  of  land,  including  the  site  of  the  present 
town  of  Kingston.  He  might  have  secured  fifty  times 
that  quantity,  for,  as  his  grandson  states,  "  When  he  built 
his  stone  house  (the  second  dwelling  he  erected),  he 
might  have  secured  fifty  thousand  acres  of  land,  which  is 
now  (i86i)  valued  at  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  per  acre.  The  only  expense  or  limit  of  ob- 
taining land  was  the  office-fees  and  the  cost  of  surveying. 
He  had  the  funds  requisite;  yet,  instead  of  securing  so 
large  a  domain,  he  invested  his  '  Spanish  milled  dollars'  in 
a  stone  house,  which  stands  there  to  this  day,  a  monument 
of  his  folly  or  his  wisdom."  This  fact  he  mentions  in  his 
Reminiscences,  as  proof  of  the  wonderful  changes  that 
have  taken  place  in  the  last  one  hundred  and  thirty  years. 

Upon  this  domain  the  immigrant  built  a  house,  in  which 
Joseph  Junkin,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir, 
was  born,  a.d.  1750.  "I  remember  this  house  distinctly. 
It  stood  over  a  spring,  directly  north  of  the  stone  tavern 


i4  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

which  now  (1861)  stands  one-third  of  a  mile  east  of  Kings- 
ton. It  was  built  of  hewn  logs,  covered  with  shingles.  In 
the  division  of  the  estate  this  (east)  portion  fell  to  my 
uncle  Benjamin,  the  west  moiety  to  my  father.  He  im- 
proved his  share  about  a.d.  1775,  building  a  stone  dwelling 
and  other  suitable  erections,  near  to  a  beautiful  spring  that 
gushed  from  the  hill-side,  and  still  flows  on.  In  that 
dwelling  I  was  born."* 

But  the  progress  of  these  improvements,  as  probably  also 
the  marriage  of  his  father  and  mother,  was  delayed  by  the 
course  of  public  events.  The  father,  previous  to  his  mar- 
riage, performed  three  campaigns  of  military  service  in  the 
War  of  the  American  Revolution,  having  volunteered  to 
aid  in  the  struggle  for  his  country's  independence.  In 
1776  and  '77  he  served  against  the  British,  and  in  1778 
against  the  Indians  and  British  on  the  Upper  Juniata  fron- 
tier. He  assisted  in  the  erection  of  a  fort  near  to  the  site 
of  Hollidaysburg.  In  1776  he  served  chiefly  in  New  Jersey. 
In  1777  he  commanded  a  company  of  Cumberland  volun- 
teers in  the  battle  of  Brandywine .  In  a  letter  to  his  son 
George,  while  the  latter  was  laboring  as  a  missionary  in 
Philadelphia,  in  1819,  we  find  an  allusion  to  this,  which 
exhibits  the  spirit  of  the  sire,  whilst  it  throws  light  upon  the 
minuter  details  of  our  Revolutionary  struggle. 

"The  battle  of  Brandywine  was  fought  on  the  nth  of 
September,  1777,  at  which  I  commanded  a  company.  Our 
army  was  forced  to  retreat.  Great  confusion  followed, 
both  among  the  troops  and  in  the  surrounding  country. 
The  dead  found  an  asylum,  but  there  was  none  for  the 
wounded.  On  the  16th  a  skirmish  with  the  enemy  occurred 
near  the  White  Horse  Tavern,  in  Chester  County,  in  which 
I  received  a  musket-ball  through  my  right  arm,  which  shat- 
tered the  bone.  I  could  find  no  place  to  retire  to  for  cure 
or  subsistence.     The  army  was  in  motion  ;  I  could  not  go 

*  Reminiscences. 


A   REVOLUTIONARY  INCIDENT.  15 

with  them.  A  horse  was  procured  for  me  by  Captain 
Fisher ;  a  rope  was  my  bridle  ;  my  knapsack,  stuffed  with 
hay,  was  my  saddle  ;  and  thus  equipped,  and  wrapped  in 
my  bloody  garments,  I  arrived  at  home,  a  distance  of  ninety 
miles,  in  three  days.  I  then  took  boarding  in  Carlisle,  put 
myself  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Samuel  A.  McCoskry,*  and 
paid  all  the  expenses  attendant  upon  my  cure,  besides 
which  I  lost  a  full  year  of  the  prime  of  my  life.  I  once 
was  urged  to  place  myself  upon  the  pension  list,  under  the 
law  of  Pennsylvania,  passed  the  10th  of  March,  1787,  but, 
being  in  good  circumstances,  declined  it." 

The  details  of  his  escape  from  the  British  lines,  within 
which,  after  he  fell,  he  was  left ;  the  noble  conduct  of 
William  Smith  and  his  wife,  elderly  people,  and  Whig 
Quakers  of  Chester  County,  in  concealing  the  wounded 
soldier  from  British  dragoons,  sheltering  him,  feeding  him, 
dressing  his  wounds,  and  sending  him  on  his  way ;  his 
mock  capture  by  some  American  horsemen  clad  in  British 
scarlet ;  and  the  almost  overpowering  reaction  of  feeling 
upon  discovering  the  rough  jest  and  finding  himself  with 
his  own  regiment,  cannot  be  here  detailed.  After  march- 
ing him  as  a  prisoner  some  half  a  mile,  and  just  as  he  was 
about  to  make  a  desperate  effort  to  escape,  they  pointed 
him  down  a  side  road,  saying,  "Just  beyond  that  woods 
you  will  find  your  regiment  encamped." 

The  narrative  formed  some  of  the  most  striking  incidents 
of  a  prize  story,  written  some  years  ago  by  his  grand- 
daughter, and  was  one  of  those  real  episodes  in  military 
history  that  constitute  its  romance.  And  these  events  in 
the  life  of  the  father  are  alluded  to  here,  only  to  show  that 
the  patriotism  of  the  son,  so  conspicuous  during  the  late 
civil  conflict,  was  not  only  a  principle,  but  an  inheritance. 

"  My  mother,"  says  the  memorandum  already  quoted, 
"as  I  have  it  from  the  book,  was  born  on  a  farm,  adjoin- 

*  Father  of  Bishop  McCoskry,  of  Michigan. 


1 6  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

ing  what  is  now  Waynesboro',  Franklin  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Her  father,  John  Cochran,  emigrated  from  the 
north  of  Ireland,  although  also  of  Scotch  descent,  and 
located,  about  1750,  upon  that  outskirt  of  civilization  next 
to  the  Indians.  His  wife,  a  Baird,  came  over  single,  and 
they  married  soon  after.  The  Cochrans  were  very  strict 
Covenanters.  I  remember  seeing  my  grandfather  Cochran 
but  once  ;  quaint  in  his  attire,  and  walking  with  a  staff. 
My  father  often  spoke  of  him  as  a  man  of  exemplary  piety. 
As  an  example  of  his  religious  habit,  he  said  that,  in  har- 
vest-time, he  always  had  family  worship  before  daylight, 
singing,  reading,  and  prayer,  when  the  family  and  all  hands 
must  be  present.  Then  a  lunch,  with  a  little  whisky,  was 
partaken  of,  always  preceded  by  invocation  of  the  divine 
blessing,  then  to  work  awhile  before  breakfast.  Another 
instance  of  the  strictness  of  these  old  Covenanters  was  re- 
lated to  me  by  one  who  had  lived  in  the  Cochran  family. 
In  walking  on  Sabbath  to  worship,  over  a  ridge  that 
abounded  in  whortleberries,  the  young  folks  dared  not 
gather  any,  as  it  was  considered  a  breach  of  the  Sabbath. 
We  smile  at  this,  and  it  may  be  one  extreme,  but  it  con- 
trasts, to  our  disadvantage,  with  the  other  extreme  that 
marks  this  age  of  Sabbath  desecration. 

"  From  my  mother  I  have  often  heard  the  following  tale 
of  her  preservation  from  a  dreadful  death.  When  she  was 
about  seven  or  eight  years  old  (1767-8),  she  was  one  day 
kept  home  from  school  (with  another  girl,  a  little  older 
than  she,  who  was  there  going  to  school)  to  take  care  of 
the  smaller  children,  whilst  the  adults  of  the  family,  as- 
sisted by  neighbors,  joined  in  the  'flax  pulling.'  That 
day  a  party  of  Indians  came  upon  the  school,  and  mur- 
dered the  master,  and  either  killed  or  carried  into  captivity 
all  the  pupils  except  one.  That  one  was  named  Archie 
Little,  and  he  reported  the  sad  catastrophe.  The  master 
was  first  knocked  down,  with  the  tomahawk,  then  the  chil- 
dren, including  Little,  who  was  the  largest  boy  in  the 
school.  He  fell  under  the  blow  and  was  scalped,  as  all 
the  rest  were.  But  he  recovered,  kept  still,  and  heard  the 
Indians  driving  the.  hatchet  into  the  skulls  of  such  as 
showed  any  signs  of  life,  whilst,  by  lying  quiet  as  if  dead, 
he  escaped  a  second  blow,  and  lived  to  tell  the  sad  tale."* 

*  Rem. 


PARENTAGE. 


*7 


Thus  was  the  mother  of  George  Junkin  providentially 
preserved,  in  childhood,  to  be  the  mother  of  a  large  family, 
two  of  whom  became  ministers,  and  four  others  ruling 
elders,  in  the  church  of  Christ.  The  writer  of  this  volume 
once  related  the  above  incident  to  that  eminent  jurist  and 
polished  gentleman,  the  late  Hon.  George  Chambers,  of 
Chambersburg,  when  he  replied,  "  The  other  little  girl,  thus 
providentially  preserved,  was  my  mother." 

Joseph  Junkin,  the  second,  and  Eleanor  Cochran  were 
united  in  marriage,  by  the  Rev.  Alexander  Dobbin,  D.D., 
May  24th,  1779.  The  issue  of  this  marriage  were  fourteen 
children,  of  whom  George  was  the  sixth  child,  and  the 
fourth  son.  They  were,  except  David,  the  youngest,  born 
in  the  stone  house,  erected  about  1775,  and  which  still 
stands  a  short  distance  north  of  Kingston,  and,  from  the 
slope  of  the  ridge,  overlooks  that  valley  of  teeming  fruit- 
fulness  and  almost  peerless  beauty.  There,  on  the  1st  day 
of  November,  a.d.  1790,  the  subject  of  this  memoir  was 
born. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Birthplace  Influences — Family  History — Refugees — Frontiersmen — Indian 
Depredations — Quaker  Policy — "The  Paxton  Boys." 

WITH  our  American  prejudices  against  aristocracy, 
and  our  disregard  of  ancestry,  we  are  in  danger  of 
underestimating  many  of  the  most  important  influences  that 
affect  the  formation  of  character.  This  is  unphilosophical. 
If  history  and  biography  are  of  any  value  at  all,  it  is  for  the 
lessons  they  impart.  But  if  the  events  which  form  their 
staple  are  effects  without  causes,  or  if  the  record  ignores 
the  causes  that  produced  the  results,  it  is  valueless  as  a 
guide  in  future  progress.  If  the  Scripture  guarantee, 
"  train  up  a  child  in  the  way  he  should  go,  and  when  he 
is  old  he  will  not  depart  from  it,"  is  reliable,  then  is  it 
important  to  trace  the  phenomena  of  individual  character 
and  conduct  to  the  surroundings  of  childhood,  and  to  the 
training  which  he  received,  just  as  we  trace  other  effects 
to  their  causes.  And,  without  a  process  of  this  kind,  the 
true  philosophy  of  history  can  never  be  unfolded. 

Dr.  .Junkin  himself  was  accustomed  to  attribute  much 
of  what  he  was,  and  what  he  was  enabled  to  do  for  God 
and  his  generation,  to  early  home  influences,  and  especially 
to  a  mother's  love,  piety,  and  faithfulness,  whilst  he  as- 
cribed all,  ultimately,  to  God.  With  this  thought  in  view, 
a  few  additional  lines  concerning  his  parentage,  family,  and 
the  surroundings  of  his  birthplace  will  not  be  deemed 
unnecessary. 

We  have  seen  that  his  ancestry,  both  paternal  and  mater- 
nal, were  Puritan  ;  for  the  Covenanters  were  genuine  Puri- 
tans, and  the  limitation  of  this  term  to  the  early  settlers 
(18) 


FA  MIL  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


*9 


of  New  England  is  an  unauthorized  restriction.  His  an- 
cestors had  passed  through  the  purifying  process  of  perse- 
cution, so  well  adapted  to  beget  loyalty  to  principle. 
Taught  in  the  stern  school  of  revolution,  in  the  fatherland, 
the  Scotch-Irish  immigrants  brought  to  the  forests  of  the 
American  frontier  a  character  peculiarly  adapted  to  such  a 
field  of  exertion.  And  the  field  itself  was  well  adapted  to 
develop  all  the  better  elements  of  that  character.  In  re- 
gard to  men,  self-reliant,  independent,  liberty-loving;  yet 
in  regard  to  God,  self-renouncing,  dependent,  conscien- 
tious, and  reverential ;  there  was  in  the  combination  the 
choicest  elements  of  energy  and  success.  The  great  dogma 
of  Calvinism,  that  means  have  efficacy  because  God  hath  de- 
creed it,  formed  the  very  chain  in  the  web  of  their  creed. 
The  war-cry  of  the  hero  of  Marston  Moor,  "Trust  in  the 
Lord,  and  depend  on  your  pikes,"  was  by  them  applied 
alike  to  the  arts  of  peace  and  to  the  martial  defence  of 
their  frontier  homes,  and  it  begat  energy  in  both.  The 
Bible,  the  Confession  of  Faith,  and  the  catechisms,  formed 
the  staple  of  their  reading  and  their  thought,  the  Psalms 
of  David  and  Asaph  their  song.  With  these,  and  the 
voice  of  family  prayer,  their  cabins  were  vocal.  The  itin- 
erant missionary  from  Scotland  or  Ulster  preached  to  them, 
in  familiar  dialect,  the  gospel  of  God's  grace ;  first  in  pri- 
vate dwellings,  or  in  the  "  tent"  beneath  the  forest's  shades, 
beside  some  gushing  spring,  and  afterwards  in  the  rude  log 
structures,  which  answered  the  double  purpose  of  school- 
house  and  sanctuary. 

Coming,  as  most  of  them  did,  from  the  rural  districts 
of  the  "  old  country,"  they  sought  the  frontier,  where  lands 
were  to  be  had  for  the  "taking  up,"  with  small  fees  for 
records  and  surveying.  And  hence  it  came  to  pass  that 
the  Scotch-Irish,  with  sometimes  a  small  admixture  of 
Germans,  became  the  frontiersmen  of  many  of  the  colonies, 
especially  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.     There  they  made 


20  LIFE    OF  DR.    GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

homes  for  themselves,  with  the  axe  and  the  mattock,  which 
they  often  were  compelled  to  defend,  against  a  savage  foe, 
with  their  rifles.  Their  entire  surroundings  called  for  great 
exertion,  indomitable  courage,  and  unfailing  patience. 
The  struggle  was  for  bread,  for  education,  and  for  religion  ; 
and  it  taxed  all  their  powers,  and,  by  taxing,  developed 
them.  To  create  a  civilization  in  the  forest,  distant  from 
all  facilities  of  improvement,  might  well  have  made  a  strong 
race  out  of  a  feeble  one.  But,  when  men  of  godly  prin- 
ciples and  high  resolve,  men  descended  from  a  hardy  and 
energetic  ancestry,  were  placed  in  circumstances  so  favor- 
able to  the  development  of  the  nobler  attributes  of  human- 
ity, we  need  not  wonder  that  a  high  style  of  manhood 
resulted,  and  a  desirable  condition  of  society. 

It  is  true,  there  were  countervailing  tendencies.  The 
very  energy  and  fondness  for  adventure,  which  such  a  state 
of  things  fostered,  tended  to  unsettle  some  minds,  make 
them  restless  in  their  homes,  and  lead  them  to  seek,  in  the 
remoter  frontier,  that  occupation  and  excitement  which 
were  not  found  in  the  older  settlements.  It  was,  accord- 
ingly, not  a  rare  occurrence  for  some,  after  having  sub- 
dued the  forest  and  made  improvements,  to  "sell  out"  to 
later  comers,  and  plunge  farther  into  the  wilderness  in 
search  of  new  homes  and  new  adventure. 

This  accounts  for  the  fact,  that,  in  the  early  settlements 
of  the  middle  colonies,  the  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians 
formed  the  bulk  of  the  frontiersmen  who  subdued  the  forest 
and  battled  with  the  savage. 

And,  in  Pennsylvania,  they  did  the  latter  with  very 
little  aid  from  the  government.  They  fought  the  bat- 
tles with  their  own  strong  arms,  their  own  rifles,  ammu- 
nition, and  provisions.  The  colonial  government  of  Penn- 
sylvania was,  for  a  long  time,  under  the  control  of  "the 
people  called  Quakers,"  that  sect  having  a  large  and  steady 
majority  in  the  colonial  assembly.     Their  peace  principles, 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS.  21 

which  were  part  of  their  religious  creed,  forbade  them 
either  to  bear  arms  themselves,  or  to  aid  and  abet  war  of 
any  kind,  and  they  would  not  vote  war  subsidies.  The 
policy  inaugurated  by  Penn,  of  not  only  buying  the  land 
from  the  Indians,  but  of  buying  them  off  from  hostilities 
by  presents,  was  maintained,  until  the  latter  became  injuri- 
ous and  defeated  its  own  end.  The  Indians  became  more 
and  more  exorbitant  in  their  demands,  and  would  commit 
atrocious  barbarities  upon  the  frontier  inhabitants,  not 
only  for  purposes  of  vengeance  and  plunder,  but  also  with 
the  expectation  that  the  government  would  buy  a  peace 
with  still  more  liberal  presents. 

So  far  was  this  system  carried,  that  the  frontiersmen  be- 
gan to  look  upon  these  gratuities  of  the  colonial  govern- 
ment as  bribes  to  the  savages  to  commit  more  murders 
and  depredations.  Hence  arose  a  state  of  exasperated 
feeling  among  the  frontier  settlements  against  both  the  gov- 
ernment and  the  savages,  which  resulted  in  some  unhappy 
outbreaks.  It  was  this  exasperation  that  prompted  "the 
Paxton  Boys"  to  the  unjustifiable  slaughter  of  the  Cones- 
toga  Indians,  in  the  Lancaster  Jail,  in  1763,  and  to  march 
to  Philadelphia,  to  the  great  consternation  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  that  peace-loving  city.  This  unlawful  enterprise 
was  rashly  undertaken  by  some  young  hot-headed  and  irre- 
sponsible frontiersmen,  in  what  is  now  Dauphin  County, 
with  a  few  from  what  are  now  York  and  Cumberland,  but 
was  resisted  by  the  older  and  more  considerate  inhabitants. 
The  perpetrators  were  mostly  young  men  who  had  lost 
kindred  or  neighbors  by  the  murderous  incursions  of  the 
savages,  and  who  had  conceived  that  indiscriminate  hatred 
against  the  Indians  which  was  always  too  rife  upon  the 
border.  They  suspected  the  Conestoga  Indians  (perhaps 
unjustly)  of  giving  information  to  the  wild  Indians  where 
and  when  to  strike.  They  were  exasperated  that  a  gov- 
ernment which  taxed  them,  and  which  they  defended  with 


22  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE   JUNKIN. 

their  arms,  would  do  nothing  to  protect  their  homes ;  and 
this  indignant  feeling  broke  out,  and  resulted  in  the  un- 
fortunate and  excuseless  massacre  of  people  probably 
innocent. 

Great  efforts  were  made  by  those  in  the  interests  of  the 
Quaker  legislature  to  impute  to  the  whole  Presbyterian 
population  of  the  frontier  the  blame  of  this  atrocious  act ; 
but  the  letter  of  the  Rev.  John  Elder,  pastor  of  Paxton 
and  Derry,  to  Governor  John  Penn,  and  the  governor's 
answer  to  him,  completely  prove  the  injustice  of  such  a 
charge.* 

The  exciting  incidents  above  mentioned  took  place  when 
Joseph  Junkin  (father  of  the  Doctor)  was  in  his  thirteenth 
year;  and  although  neither  he  nor  any  of  his  family  were 
participants,  they  form  part  of  the  history  of  the  commu- 
nity in  which  he  was  reared,  and  amid  which  his  childhood 
was  passed.  Often  did  the  family  leave  their  dwelling  at 
evening,  and  pass  the  night  in  the  cornfield  or  the  "flax- 
patch,"  for  fear  of  assault  by  the  savage  foe.  When  in  his 
sixth  year  (1755),  during  the  French  and  Indian  War,  his 
parents  escaped,  with  their  family,  from  savage  barbarities, 
and  fled  to  Chester  County,  where  they  abode  for  a  season 
with  their  relatives.  The  first  night  after  their  flight  they 
found  refuge  in  a  "block-house,"  on  Paxton  Creek,  near 
to  the  place  where  Harrisburg  now  stands.  That  same 
night,  a  Mr.  Graham,  with  his  family,  took  refuge  in  the 
same  wooden  fortress.  He  was  the  father  of  the  Rev. 
William  Graham,  a  minister  of  the  gospel  and  the  founder 
of  Washington  College,  Lexington,  Va.,  of  which  college 
the  son  (George)  of  his  fellow-refugee  afterwards  became 
president.  From  that  college  that  son  himself  became  a 
refugee,  when  the  civil  war  began  in  1861. 

In   1778  the  Upper  Susquehanna  was  overrun  by  the 

*  See  Archives  of  Pa.,  vol.  iv.  pp.  148,  153. 


AN  INCIDENT. 


23 


Indians  in  British  pay,  and  the  Wyoming  massacre  oc- 
curred. The  settlers  fled  for  refuge  to  the  older  settle- 
ments. A  family  named  Montgomery  found  refuge  in  the 
house  of  Dr.  Junkin's  father.  "He  was  the  father,"  says 
Dr.  J.,  "of  my  lamented  friend  and  helper  in  good  works, 
the  late  noble-hearted  General  Daniel  Montgomery,  of 
Danville,  Pa.,  with  whom,  in  after- years,  I  took  sweet 
counsel.  This  incident  I  had  from  the  general  himself  in 
the  first  years  of  our  acquaintance." 

He  records  in  his  Reminiscences  several  incidents  of  the 
early  life  of  his  parents,  as  connected  with  the  first  years 
of  the  War  of  Independence.  But,  although  they  illus- 
trate the  condition  and  history  of  those  times,  they  are  not 
necessarily  connected  with  the  object  of  this  volume,  and 
are  therefore  not  introduced. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  "Tories,"  as  the  ad- 
herents of  the  king  were  called,  were  rarely  found  among 
the  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians.  They  were  proverbial  for 
their  zeal  in  the  cause  of  Independence.  The  father  of 
Dr.  Junkin  has  left  on  record  some  incidents  of  which  he 
was  personally  cognizant  just  before  he  marched  to  New 
Jersey  in  1776.  One  occurred  at  Carlisle  previous  to  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  but  after  the  subject  had 
been  proposed  in  Congress.  A  large  number  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  Cumberland  Valley  had  congregated  at  Carlisle  to 
confer  about  public  affairs.  They  were  assembled  in  the 
public  square,  and  it  was  proposed  to  have  an  expression 
of  public  sentiment  upon  the  subject.     An  eminent  lawyer 

of  the  place,  Mr.  ,  made  a  lengthy  address,  setting 

forth  the  folly  and  the  madness  of  the  attempt  to  become 
independent  of  Great  Britain.  He  portrayed  the  vast 
wealth  and  military  power  of  Great  Britain  in  contrast  with 
the  poverty,  weakness,  and  want  of  military  resources  of  the 
colonies.  He  urged  them  to  seek  nothing  beyond  a  reason- 
able redress  of  grievances,  and  assured  them  that  an  attempt 


24  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

at  independence  would  result  only  in  disaster  and  ruin  to 
the  colonies.  When  he  had  closed,  another  lawyer,  a  Mr. 
Wm.  Lyon,  made  a  short  address,  and  proposed  that  all 
who  favored  independence  should  move  to  the  north  side 
of  the  square,  and  those  who  opposed  it,  to  the  south.  The 
great  mass  of  the  people,  our  father  with  them,  promptly 
moved  to  the  north  side ;  a  few,  three  or  four,  moved 
neither  way ;  but  none  went  to  the  south  side. 

Shortly  after  this  there  was  a  battalion  drill  in  the 
vicinity  of  Silver's  Spring,  at  which  nearly  all  the  people 
of  the  lower  valley,  that  were  not  in  the  army,  were  present. 
Whilst  the  parade  was  in  progress,  and  the  men  were  en- 
gaged in  putting  green  branches  in  their  hats  as  a  token 
that  they  were  willing  to  volunteer,  a  courier  rode  along, 
bringing  the  tidings  that  independence  had  been  declared 
three  days  before  at  Philadelphia,  and  carrying  a  hand-bill 
announcing  the  declaration.  It  was  read  to  the  multitude, 
and  there  ratified  unanimously  and  with  acclamation,  and 
a  large  company  of  volunteers  organized  on  the  spot.  Such 
was  the  spirit  of  old  Cumberland  at  that  trying  time. 

The  facilities  for  education  in  a  frontier  settlement  were, 
of  course,  meagre ;  and  yet  the  Presbyterians,  whatever 
else  they  lacked,  would  provide  schools.  Of  course  their 
school-houses,  like  their  dwellings,  were  at  first  but  rude 
cabins,  such  as  we  have  seen  the  mother  attended  ;  but  the 
teachers  were  often  persons  of  mature  education  ;  and  if 
the  books  and  other  appliances  were  few  and  simple,  the 
drill  was  often  more  thorough  than  it  now  is.  The  parents, 
who  had  been  taught  in  the  schools  of  the  mother  country, 
were  also  effective  teachers ;  and  around  the  blazing  fires 
of  home,  in  the  long  winter  evenings,  imparted  to  their 
children  the  learning  they  had  acquired  in  their  youth. 
With  such  meagre  advantages,  Dr.  Junkin's  parents  ac- 
quired an  education  such  as  is  even  yet  deemed  respect- 
able.    The  father,  by  diligence  in  study  out  of  the  hours 


PARENTAL    PIETY. 


25 


of  labor,  made  himself  a  very  accurate  English  scholar. 
He  was  fond  of  exact  science,  made  considerable  progress 
in  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy,  wrote  with  vigor 
and  grammatical  correctness,  and  was  an  accurate  practical 
land  surveyor.  He  was  a  man  of  unusual  natural  force  and 
perspicuity  of  mind  ;  reasoned  with  strength,  and  wrote  in 
a  style  plain,  but  accurate  and  vigorous,  and  was  rather 
fond  of  discussion.  Accustomed  to  think,  and  fond  of 
conversation,  he  could  not  but  impress  upon  his  children 
habits  of  thought,  especially  upon  the  one  (George)  who, 
more,  perhaps,  than  any  other,  inherited  the  father's  mas- 
sive mental  structure. 

Both  parents  had  been  thoroughly  instructed  in  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Bible  and  of  the  Westminster  Symbols,  and 
both,  from  early  life,  were  professors  of  religion.  The 
father  grasped  the  doctrines  with  a  clearness  and  a  vigor 
that  made  him  a  formidable  disputant ;  and  the  type  of  his 
religion,  whilst  it  lacked  not  tenderness  and  humility,  was 
more  marked  by  intellectual  force  than  by  devotional  fervor. 
The  mother's,  on  the  other  hand,  whilst  also  intelligent, 
was  characterized  by  unusual  fervor  of  devotion  and  prac- 
tical Christian  earnestness.  Equally  firm  in  the  faith  with 
her  husband,  she  excelled  him  in  earnest  and  conscientious 
efforts  to  apply  its  principles  in  everyday  duties.  She  was, 
indeed,  a  woman  of  eminent  godliness.  She  taught  her 
children  to  do  everything  in  reference  to  God  and  upon 
religious  principle ;  and  she  trained  them  not  only  in  the 
preceptive,  but  in  the  practical  also. 

In  every  community  in  which  she  resided  she  was  remark- 
able as  a  successful  peace-maker,  and  earned  the  beatitude 
attached  to  that  character.  Her  system  was  quiet,  but 
effective.  If  she  knew  of  alienation  and  strife  between 
neighbors  or  church-members,  especially  if  females,  she 
would  seek  interviews  with  them  separately.  She  would 
converse  with  one  of  the  hostile  parties  about  the  other, 

3 


26  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

aiming  with  skill  and  tact  to  elicit  some  favorable  expres- 
sion concerning  the  absent.  This  she  would  repeat  to  the 
other,  keeping  to  herself  any  unkind  thing  that  might  have 
been  said.  This  would  bring  out  some  kind  expression  in 
turn,  which  she  would  take  occasion  to  repeat,  thus  gradu- 
ally "slaying  the  enmity."  And  when,  by  this  process, 
she  had  prepared  the  way,  she  would  contrive  an  interview, 
often  at  her  own  tea-table,  where  the  reconciliation  would 
be  perfected. 

Such,  in  a  religious  point  of  view,  were  the  parents  of 
George  Junkin.  Of  Covenanter  stock,  they  early  became 
members  of  that  (the  Reformed  Presbyterian)  church ;  and 
when,  in  1782,  that  church  united  with  the  "Associate 
Presbyterian  Synod,"  forming  the  "Associate  Reformed 
Church  of  North  America,"  they  joined  in  the  union,  and 
for  many  years  the  father  was  a  prominent  ruling  elder  in 
that  body.  Referred  to  the  influence  of  such  a  parentage, 
in  connection  with  later  surroundings,  it  is  not  difficult  to 
account  for  the  peculiarities  of  Dr.  Junkin's  religious  char- 
acter, strength  and  clearness  of  intellectual  perceptions, 
fervor  of  devotion,  and  earnest  practicalness.  He  himself 
often  spoke  of  his  maternal  training  and  pious  influence 
with  deeply  grateful  and  reverential  feelings. 

"My  father  and  mother  had  fourteen  children:  Eliza- 
beth, Eleanor,  Joseph,  who  died  young,  John,  Joseph, 
George,  William,  who  died  in  childhood,  Mary  and  Agnes, 
twins,  Benjamin,  one  unnamed,  who  died  in  infancy,  Wil- 
liam Findley,  Matthew  Oliver,  and  David.  All  were  born 
in  the  same  old  stone  mansion,  already  described,  except 
the  last  named,  who  was  born  at  Hope  Mills,  in  Mercer 
County.  Eleven  of  them  attained  adult  life,  married,  and 
all  raised  families,  except  the  oldest  daughter,  Elizabeth, 
who,  with  her  first  child,  died  shortly  after  its  birth."* 

Elizabeth  was  the  wife  of  the  Hon.  John  Findley,  of 
Mercer  County ;   Eleanor,   the  wife  of  the  Hon.  Walter 


Rem. 


FA  MIL  Y. 


27 


Oliver,  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  State  legislature ; 
Mary,  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  George  Buchanan,  pastor  for 
nearly  fifty  years  of  the  A.  R.  Church  of  Steubenville, 
Ohio  ;  and  Agnes  was  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  James  Gallo- 
way, first  pastor  of  Mercer,  and  she  afterwards  married 
Hugh  Bingham,  Esq.,  father  of  the  Hon.  John  A.  Bingham. 
Of  the  immediate  family  of  Joseph  Junkin,  Senior,  in- 
cluding sons-in-law  and  grandsons,  fifteen  were  ministers 
of  the  gospel  and  twenty-one  ruling  elders  in  the  church, — 
in  all  thirty-six  office-bearers  in  Presbyterian  churches.  Of 
these,  ten  ministers  and  ten  elders  still  live.  The  others 
have  fallen  asleep. 


CHAPTER    III. 

"Widow  Junkin's  Tent" — Early  Missionaries  of  Cumberland  Valley — 
Churches — Baptism — A.  R.  Church  formed — Early  Religious  Instruc- 
tion— Confidence  in  God's  Covenant — Schools  and  Teachers — Romance 
— Recollections  of  Early  Preachers. 

JOSEPH  JUNKIN,  the  grandfather  of  the  Doctor,  died  in 
1777,  before  the  marriage  of  Joseph,  the  second,  but 
his  wife  Elizabeth  survived  until  1796.  The  first  place  of 
holding  public  worship  in  the  vicinity  was  upon  her  estate 
in  the  woods.  "  It  was  known  from  my  earliest  memory," 
says  Dr.  J.  in  his  Reminiscences,  "as  'Widow  Junkin's 
tent,'  and  stood  three  hundred  yards  from  the  dwelling 
first  erected  by  my  grandfather.  About  the  dawn  of  my 
memory  that  '  tent'  was  removed  one  mile  west,  to  James 
Bell's  place.  In  'Bell's  tent'  I  have  often  heard  Dr.  Black, 
Dr.  Culbertson  and  others  of  the  old  Covenanters,  preach. 
That  tent  (a  simple  stand  or  dais,  with  a  shelter  for  the 
minister,  and  a  board  on  which  to  lay  the  Bible)  stood, 
braced  up  against  a  large  black-oak  tree,  more  than  forty- 
five  years.  When  I  passed  the  place  last  May  (1861)  it  was 
gone ;  and  the  Bells,  Junkins,  and  all  the  worshippers  are 
gone." 

The  Dr.  Culbertson,  or,  rather,  Cuthbertson,  above  men- 
tioned, was  a  Scotsman  of  eminent  piety  and  devotedness. 
He  landed  at  New  Castle,  Delaware,  in  1744,  and  imme- 
diately began  a  series  of  missionary  journeys  and  toils  that 
extended  until  near  the  close  of  the  century  (1799). 

"  I  often  have  heard  my  parents  speak  of  Doctor  Clark, 
a  Covenanter   minister,    who   traversed    the   middle   and 
southern  colonies  as  a  missionary.     He  was  a  man  of  great 
(28) 


FIRST  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTIONS. 


29 


talents,   learning,  piety,  and  zeal.     His  labors  were  sig- 
nally blessed  in  many  places. 

"  Mr.  Culbertson  joined  in  the  Union  of  1782,  and  was 
pastor  of  the  A.  R.  Church  of  Big  Spring,  Newville.  The 
Rev.  Dr.  Alexander  Dobbin,  of  Adams  County,  adhered  to 
the  same  body,  and  ministered  at  Marsh  Creek,  where  he 
conducted  a  grammar-school,  at  which  many  eminent  men 
were  trained.  He  also  served  a  congregation  on  Antietam 
Creek,  near  where  my  mother  was  born.  It  was  at  one  of 
the  sacramental  services  which  he  administered  there  that 
my  parents  dedicated  me  to  God  in  the  ordinance  of  bap- 
tism, which  Dr.  Dobbin  administered."* 

Of  his  early  religious  instructions,  and  of  his  first  schools 
and  teachers,  we  gather  the  following  from  his  Reminis- 
cences : 

"  I  have  no  recollection  as  to  the  first  religious  instruc- 
tions I  received  and  the  early  influence  of  family  wor- 
ship. But  from  my  mother's  teachings  of  those  younger 
than  myself,  which  do  come  within  the  scope  of  my  memory, 
I  infer  what  she  had  done  for  me,  beyond  the  range  of 
memory.  This  ought  to  be  the  case  with  all  family  train- 
ing. It  was  careful,  constant,  kind,  though  firm,  and  it 
was  Christian.  Blessed  is  that  family  that  is  so  trained. 
It  cannot  be  that  it  should  fail  to  rear  a  godly  seed.  There 
stands  the  covenant  promise,  'I  will  be  a  God  to  thee  and 
to  thy  seed  after  thee.'    It  cannot  fail,  for  God  is  faithful." 

And  this  high  estimate  of  the  value  of  godly  training  in 
the  family,  and  the  faithfulness  of  God's  covenant,  drawn 
as  it  was  from  his  own  experience,  from  observation,  and 
from  the  Holy  Word,  grew  upon  him  through  all  his  life, 
and  was  often  expressed  in  his  preaching  and  his  writings. 
He  was  in  the  habit  of  teaching  that  parental  faithfulness 
and  care,  with  devout  prayer,  could  (instrumentally)  trans- 
mit to  offspring  the  piety  pledged  in  the  covenant  of  grace, 
and  the  heavenly  inheritance  connected  with  it,  with  gi  eater 


Rem. 
-7* 


3o  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE   JUNKIN. 

certainty  than  the  worldly  estate  which  they  might  design 
to  bequeath  to  them. 

"I  cannot  date  precisely  my  first  school  days.  They 
must  have  been  in  my  sixth  or  seventh  year.  The  school- 
house  to  which  my  older  brothers  went  was  two  and  a  half 
miles  from  our  home,  but,  before  I  commenced,  my  father 
had  succeeded  in  having  one  built  within  one  and  a  half 
miles  east  of  us,  on  the  summit  of  the  ridge.  It  was  a 
hewn  log  structure,  and  very  respectable  and  comfortable. 
The  windows  were  made  by  cutting  out  about  ten  feet  of  a 
log  on  each  side,  and  inserting  a  low,  narrow  sash  to  fill 
the  opening.  The  desks  were  attached  firmly  to  the  wall, 
so  that  the  faces  of  the  pupils  were  towards  this  long,  low 
window  when  writing,  and  the  smaller  children  seated  in  the 
central  parts  of  the  room.  I  doubt  whether  much  improve- 
ment has  yet  been  made  upon  this  simple  and  convenient 
arrangement.  The  site  of  our  school-house  was  extremely 
pleasant.  A  beautiful  open  grove  of  forest  trees  in  the 
rear,  and  a  magnificent  view  southward  over  the  valley, 
terminated  only  by  the  peaks  of  the  'Blue  Ridge.'  In  the 
intermediate  space  lay  the  broad  rolling  plain  of  the  Cum- 
berland Valley,  then  called  'The  Barrens,'  because  desti- 
tute of  timber,  but  now  esteemed  soil  of  great  fertility. 
There  I  received  all  my  'schooling'  until  I  entered  the 
preparatory  department  of  Jefferson  College  in  1809. 

"My  first  schoolmaster  was  William  Jamieson,  a  lame 
man,  who  walked  with  a  crutch  and  staff;  and  many  a  time 
I  have  run  races  with  him,  in  going  home  from  or  coming 
to  school.  He  often  outran  me,  hopping  on  his  three 
legs.  It  was  then  the  custom  for  the  teacher  to  board 
round  among  the  pupils,  and,  though  often  disagreeable 
to  him,  it  had  its  advantages.  If  he  was  an  agreeable  person 
(and  if  not  he  ought  not  to  be  in  the  office),  he  learned  the 
habits  of  the  homes,  could  hint  useful  things  to  the  parents, 
become  familiar  with  all,  and  it  tended  to  permanency. 
We  were  very  ambitious  to  get  '  Master  Jamieson'  home 
with  us,  and  he  often  had  difficulty  in  deciding  between  our 
claims.  He  was  a  beautiful  penman,  a  pretty  good  teacher, 
was  truly  benevolent,  and  therefore  greatly  beloved.  He 
had  great  administrative  ability;  knew  how  to  obey  Solo- 
mon in  the  use  of  the  rod,  though  erring  rather  on  the  side 


EARLY  TEACHERS. 


31 


of  lenity.  He  was  jocose  without  descending  to  familiarity. 
He  continued  our  teacher  for  many  years. 

"  My  next  schoolmaster  was  an  Irishman  named  Hen- 
derson, a  good  mathematician.  Then  a  Yankee — Augustus 
Searl — somewhat  of  a  classic,  teaching  Latin  to  one  or  two 
of  the  boys.  He  occasionally  got  drunk,  and  then  he 
always  closed  the  school  with  prayer — never  when  sober. 
Next  to  him  came  James  Smith,  a  Scot,  who  taught  two 
years.     He  was  a  man  of  ability. 

"My  next  teacher  was  Andrew  Caruthers,  whose  story 
was  connected  with  one  of  the  tragedies  of  the  valley. 
He  was  born  in  our  neighborhood,  and  had  learned  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter.  During  one  of  his  visits  to  his 
family,  the  food  of  the  household  was  mixed  with  arsenic, 
by  a  young  woman  who  lived  in  the  family,  named  Sarah 
Clark.  Her  object  was  to  destroy  one  of  the  daughters, 
who,  she  thought,  stood  between  her  and  the  affections  of 
J.  D.,  whom  she  herself  loved.  She  succeeded  in  murder- 
ing part  of  the  family,  and  was  afterwards  executed  for  the 
crime  at  Carlisle.  Andrew  Caruthers  was  rendered  decrepit 
by  the  poison,  and,  no  longer  able  to  work,  began  study 
and  entered  Dickinson  College.  During  his  college  course 
he  left  college  and  taught,  to  obtain  means,  and  thus  be- 
came my  teacher.  He  afterwards  became  eminent  as  a 
lawyer  and  a  judge,  and  was  distinguished  as  a  law  in- 
structor. His  hands  were  so  distorted  by  the  poison  that 
he  could  not  make  pens  in  his  school,  and  he  devolved  this 
work  chiefly  upon  me,  and  he  paid  me  richly  by  special 
attentions.  It  was  he  who  put  it  into  my  father's  mind  to 
give  me  a  college  education.  My  last  schoolmaster  was 
James  Smith,  of  Carlisle.  Diligent  and  faithful,  but  not 
very  efficient."* 

Thus  did  his  mind,  in  old  age,  recall  with  minuteness 
and  affection  the  names  and  the  peculiarities  of  his  early 
teachers,  and,  with  a  detail  that  we  need  not  here  copy, 
he  proceeds  to  describe  the  things  taught,  the  modes  of 
teaching,  the  few  school-books  used,  the  systems  of  reward, 


*  Rem. 


32  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

the  "trapping,"  and  other  modes  of  exciting  emulation  in 
the  learners,  together  with  incidents  that  would  not  interest 
the  general  reader,  but  all  of  which  illustrate  the  early 
rise  in  his  mind  of  that  which  proved  the  business,  we 
might  say  the  passion,  of  his  life — education — the  develop- 
ment and  culture  of  the  mind.  "  The  Bible 'was  the  chief 
reading  book.  The  Catechism  was  universally  taught ; 
usually  one  question  was  required  of  every  pupil  each 
morning,  and  a  general  recitation  of  it  the  last  hour  of 
the  week." 

He  describes,  also,  the  games  of  the  playground,  by 
which  amusement  was  sought  and  physical  development 
promoted  ;  and  they  are  much  the  same  as  those  prevailing 
among  our  youth  of  the  present  day.  The  discipline  of 
the  school,  with  rod,  rule,  rebuke,  report  at  home,  and 
occasionally  the  fool's-cap,  or  the  fool's-corner,  are  re- 
called, as  well  as  some  scenes  in  which  the  boys  showed 
themselves  to  be  the  fathers  of  the  men. 

"About  1798,  political  excitement  ran  high  in  the  coun- 
try, and  was  rife  in  the  school.  Between  Federalists  and 
anti-Federalists,  in  the  school,  the  strife  was  very  virulent. 
Fists,  sticks,  and  snowballs  sometimes  were  employed  to 
enforce  arguments.  The  Aikens  and  Walkers  (of  which 
family  Hon.  Robert  J.  Walker  was  one)  were  violent  Fed- 
erals, whilst  the  Loudons  and  Junkins  were  anti-Federals. 
The  fights  would  break  out  at  the  close  of  school,  and 
Master  Jamieson  was  often  not  able  to  quell  them.  On  one 
of  these  occasions  I  had  the  only  fisticuff  battle  of  my 
life,  in  my  eighth  year.  The  big  boys,  afraid  to  engage 
themselves,  managed  to  urge  on  Bill  Aiken,  a  full  cousin 
of  Robert  J.  Walker,  and  myself  to  do  battle.  It  was  not 
of  long  continuance.  I  got  my  antagonist  down,  and 
banged  anti-federalism  (republicanism,  as  it  began  to  be 
called)  into  him  ad  posteriorem,  until  he  cried  'Enough.' 
Then  the  Republican  boys  made  the  welkin  ring  with 
shouts  of  victory,  and  the  parties  drew  off  to  nurse  their 
wrath  and  meet  another  day.     I  have  lost  sight  of  my 


POLITICS  IN   THE   SCHOOL.  33 

friend  and  antagonist,  Aiken ;  if  alive,  he  is  now  seventy- 
two  years  old."* 

"In  the  summer  of  1799,  my  father  lived  on  a  farm 
which  he  owned,  two  miles  east  of  Newville,  having  re- 
moved to  it  for  the  purpose  of  making  improvements,  hav- 
ing meanwhile  leased  the  homestead  at  Kingston.  My 
memory  is  crowded  with  incidents  of  that  summer,  pleas- 
ant to  recall,  but  not  worthy  of  special  record 

That  summer  I  went  to  school  to  William  McKean,  in  a 
log  schoolhouse,  near  to  one  Myers'  house,  a  tenant  of  Mr. 
Leiper's.  Joseph  Ritner  was  then  Myers'  hired  boy,  and 
one  of  Leiper's  girls  became  his  wife.  I  saw  them,  many 
years  afterwards,  in  Harrisburg,  when  he  (Ritner)  was 
governor  of  Pennsylvania.  .  .  .  My  parents  belonged 
to  the  A.  R.  Church  at  Newville,  of  which,  at  that  time, 
the  Rev.  James  McConnel,  a  'United  Irishman,'  was 
pastor.  He  had  some  imagination,  considerable  flow  of 
language,  much  self-possession,  and  was  orthodox,  but  big- 
oted. These  opinions  of  him  are  the  result  of  subsequent 
knowledge,-  not  of  my  observations  at  the  time.  My  only 
recollections  of  him,  as  he  then  was,  are  that  he  was  tedi- 
ous and  confused.  He  never  won  my  attention,  or  made 
me  in  the  least  the  wiser.  But  oh!  his  'fourth  places,' 
and  'fifth  places,'  and  his  '  last  places,'  of  which  last  he 
had  often  many  in  the  same  discourse, — I  remember  what 
weariness  they  produced. 

"And  yet,  towards  the  last  of  that  summer,  my  mind 
was  very  much  exercised  in  regard  to  heaven  and  hell,  and 
all  that  relates  to  eternity.  But  I  cannot  connect  any  of 
my  mental  exercises  with  the  pastor's  sermons.  He  was 
assisted  at  a  sacramental  service,  on  one  occasion,  by  the 
Rev.  James  Walker,  also  an  Irishman.  His  text  and  ser- 
mon 1  remember,  'Put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God,  etc' 
It  was  not  the  instrument  of  my  awakening,  but  aided  me 
in  my  serious  impressions.  His  appearance  I  can  dis- 
tinctly recall.  He  was  of  grave  and  solemn  demeanor, 
whilst  the  pastor  was  too  jovial  to  accomplish  much 
good."f 

It  was  during  this  summer,  and  the  next  winter,  that  the 
*  Rem.  t  Rem. 


34  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

mental  process  which  he  thinks  resulted  in  his  spiritual 
change  was  experienced.  He  records  this  with  that  sim- 
plicity which  was  an  element  of  his  character,  and  with 
that  microscopic  detail  which  might  be  expected  of  one 
accustomed  to  a  careful  observing  of  the  connection  be- 
tween cause  and  effect.  In  his  child-experience  was  real- 
ized the  fact,  that  God  often  causes  "  the  wrath  of  man  to 
praise  him."  It  not  unfrequently  happens  that  the  Lord 
employs  some  outbreak  of  natural  depravity,  as  the  means 
of  showing  to  his  chosen  ones  the  plague  of  their  own 
hearts,  with  a  view  to  convincing  them  of  sin.  It  was  so 
with  him,  as  he  naively  tells: 

"When  at  school  one  day  I  became  greatly  distressed  by 
a  trifling  loss  (a  pocket  brass  inkstand  of  my  brother 
John's),  and,  whilst  weeping  for  this  cause,  my  memory  re- 
called and  placed  at  the  bar  of  conscience  a  wicked  act 
I  had  long  before  committed  against  my  sister  Elizabeth, 
who  now  lived  far  away,  in  Mercer  County,  having  married 
and  emigrated  thither.  The  act  was  done  before  her  mar- 
riage; when,  on  one  occasion,  she  restrained  me  in  some 
trifle,  I  became  furious,  and  threw  in  her  face  some  bread 
I  was  eating  at  the  time.  Months  had  elapsed ;  but  this 
unkind  treatment  of  my  dear,  and  now  distant,  sister  seemed 
to  plant  a  dagger  in  my  heart,  and  this  sorrow  absorbed 
the  other,  and  made  me  feel  very  remorseful.  A  sense  of 
sin  was  awakened  in  my  heart  that  continued  to  grow 
deeper  from  time  to  time.  Shortly  after  this,  one  night, 
there  was  a  tremendous  storm  of  thunder,  lightning,  and 
rain.  The  teeming  of  the  rain  upon  the  roof,  the  flash  of 
the  lightning,  and  the  roar  of  heaven's  dread  artillery, 
brought  the  ideas  of  death  and  eternity  vividly  before  me. 
My  cruel  treatment  of  my  absent  sister,  and  other  sins, 
came  rushing  upon  my  heart.  I  lay  long  awake,  fearing, 
trembling,  weeping,  and  praying.  I  have  never  felt  such 
deep  and  painful  emotions  of  the  kind  as  that  night.  My 
conscience  seconded  all  these,  and  made  me  taste  the  bit- 
terness of  sin. 

"Late  in  November,  my  uncle,  William  Findley  (who 
for  twenty-two  consecutive  years  represented  the  Westmore- 


MATERNAL    INFLUENCE.  35 

land  district  in  Congress,  and  who  won  the  sobriquet  of 
'the  Chronicler  of  Congress'),  came  to  my  father's,  on  his 
way  to  Philadelphia,  where  that  body  then  sat.  His  con- 
versation, and  especially  his  singing  and  prayers,  were 
comfortable  to  me.  Later  still,  and  after  we  had  returned 
to  the  old  homestead  below  Carlisle,  my  sister,  Elizabeth 
Findley,  returned  from  the  West  to  spend  the  winter  and 
encounter  the  first  perils  of  maternity  under  her  mother's 
care.  One  day,  after  the  birth  of  her'  child,  Dr.  Mc- 
Coskry,  as  he  was  leaving  the  house  after  a  professional 
call,  said,  very  sorrowfully,  'It  is  all  over  with  her;  she  is 
already  in  the  agonies  of  death.'  Oh,  how  this  riveted 
the  convictions  of  the  last  few  months  !  I  went  out  to  the 
pond,  behind  the  spring-house,  and  lay  down  on  my  face 
upon  the  clean  slate  gravel,  and  wept,  and  prayed,  and 
prayed  and  wept,  as  I  had  never  done  before.  And  now, 
(1861),  at  the  distance  of  sixty-two  years,  I  am  not  certain 
but  that  this  was  the  time  of  my  spiritual  birth."  (This 
was  in  his  tenth  year.)  "  I  made  no  profession  of  religion 
for  twelve  years  afterwards  ;  but  from  that  day  my  con- 
science has  never  been  beaten  down,  but  has  controlled  my 
conduct.  It  has  never,  except  momentarily,  failed  to  se- 
cure obedience,  and  to  keep  me  in  a  prayerful  frame.  I 
never  used  profane  language  in  my  life,  but,  from  the  time 
just  specified,  have  felt  a  peculiar  shrinking  from  it,  and, 
indeed,  from  all  sinful  outbreakings.  Much  of  this  is  due 
to  education  under  my  mother's  training  and  prayers,  all 
efficiently  to  the  grace  of  God.  /  never  heard  a  profane 
oath  from  one  of  her  children,  nor  from  any  of  the  name. 

Now  these  things  are  not  mentioned  by 

way  of  boasting,  but  as  an  expression  of  gratitude  to  God, 
for  giving  me  such  parents,  and  especially  such  a  mother, 
and  for  blessing  her  prayers  and  efforts  in  educating  my 
conscience,  and  bringing  down  the  Holy  Spirit  to  sanctify 
my  heart  and  restrain  my  naturally  quick  and  violent 
temper.  When  I  look  back  upon  the  temptations  to  pro- 
fanity by  men  and  boys  all  around  me,  I  cannot  account 
for  the  escape  of  myself  and  brothers  except  on  this  ground. 
God  interposed,  and,  by  home  restraints,  saved  us."* 

*  Rem. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Causes  of  Removal  to  the  West — Emigration — Incidents  of  Journey- 
Hope  Mills — Three  Years  at  that  Place — Their  Influence  upon  his  Fu- 
ture— Ministers  at  Mercer — Rev.  Samuel  Tait — Rev.  Campbell. 

"  "TV  T  OTHING  occurs  to  my  memory  worthy  of  note 
J[\|  until  1804.  That  year,  for  the  first,  I  made  'a 
hand'  at  the  sickle  in  my  father's  harvesting.  The  sickle, 
in  those  days,  was  the  chief  instrument  for  cutting  grain. 
The  fields  were  laid  out  in  '  lands'  of  eight  feet  wide,  and 
two  hands  took  'a  land,'  and  must  always  clean  up  the 
right  hand  furrow;  hence  my  partner,  by  doing  a  little 
more  than  his  share,  made  a  hand  of  me. 

"  Whisky  was  always  used  in  harvest,  yet  I  never  saw  a 
man  drunk  on  my  father's  farm.  He  was  a  moderate 
drinker  at  harvest  for  more  than  seventy  years,  and  yet 
never  was  intoxicated,  so  far  as  I  ever  saw  or  heard  of. 
Fixed  principle  only  saved  him. 

"The  summer  and  autumn  of  1804  were  marked  by 
sickness  (fever  and  ague)  prevailing  all  through  the  Cum- 
berland Valley.  Our  entire  family,  twelve,  were  taken.  I 
the  last  one  taken  down.  It  was  probably  this,  together 
with  the  wish  of  getting  land  for  all  his  children,  that  led 
my  father  to  meditate  a  removal  to  the  west  end  of  the 
State.  Wayne's  victory  over  the  Indians,  in  the  battle  of 
the  Maumee,  and  the  subsequent  treaty  with  them  (1798), 
had  opened  to  settlement  the  large  district  that  lies  between 
the  Ohio  and  the  lake,  and  the  Alleghany  and  the  Ohio 
line,  a  district  of  great  beauty,  and  possessing  many  re- 
sources of  wealth.  To  the  county  of  Mercer,  in  that  region, 
my  brother-in-law,  John  Findley,  had  migrated  (from  West- 
moreland), in  1799,  and  my  father  made  purchase  of  large 
tracts  of  land  in  and  after  1800.  In  the  fall  of  1805,  my 
two  older  brothers,  John  and  Joseph,  were  detailed  and 
sent. to  improve  the  Hope  farm,  two  and  a  half  miles  south 
of  the  town  of  Mercer.  This  was  before  he  sold  the  home- 
(36) 


INCIDENTS   OF  JOURNEY.  37 

stead  in  Cumberland.  Next  year  he  sold  it,  and,  on  the 
15th  of  April,  1806,  set  out  with  his  family  for  Mercer 
County. 

"  It  was  a  tedious,  and  sometimes  perilous,  journey,  for 
the  road  over  the  Alleghany  Mountains  was  of  the  most 
primitive  and  impracticable  kind.  A  week  brought  us  to 
Mr.  Findley's,  in  Westmoreland.  The  present  town  of 
Latrobe  occupies  part  of  his  estate.  There  we  remained 
over  Sabbath  and  Monday.  At  Pittsburg  we  had  to  lighten 
our  wagons  by  leaving  part  of  their  loads,  for  the  road  to 
Mercer  was  new,  through  deep  forests,  and  over  steep  hills. 
At  the  ferry -house,  opposite  Pittsburg,  at  what  is  now  the 
foot  of  Federal  Street,  Alleghany,  my  father  found  an  old 
Scotch-Irishman,  named  Wm.  Robinson,  who  used  to 
thrash  rye  for  my  father  in  Cumberland.  He  owned  the 
ferry  and  the  farm,  on  which  the  central  parts  of  Alleghany 
City  now  stand,  and  urged  my  father  to  buy  it,  offering  all, 
from  the  second  bank  to  the  foot  of  the  great  hill,  for  four 
thousand  dollars.  Nor  was  my  father  ignorant  of  the  pros- 
pective value  of  the  property.  I  heard  him  remark,  '  There 
will  one  day  be  the  great  city,  and  Pittsburg  will  be  a  small 
town  of  stores  and  shops.'  He  had  money  on  hand  to 
make  the  purchase,  but  Mr.  Findley  dissuaded  him.  Had 
he  made  that  purchase  it  might  have  ruined  his  children, 
for  he  would  have  become  very  rich. 

"Our  progress  was  so  slow  that  the  next  Sabbath  was 
spent  at  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Sample,  a  Cumberland  family 
that  lived  at  the  mouth  of  Girty's  Run,  and  we  only  arrived 
at  Hope  farm  on  the  1st  of  May.  Here,  for  a  season,  we 
lived  in  a  somewhat  spacious  'cabin,'  until  the  large  man- 
sion-house, still  standing,  was  erected.  It  was  a  dense 
cabin  population  ;  for,  besides  our  own  large  family,  we 
had  many  men  employed  in  building  clam,  mills,  mansion- 
house,  and  other  improvements.  Our  master  millwright 
was  Joseph  Smith,  Esq.,  father  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  T. 
Smith,  of  Baltimore.  Early  in  the  autumn  we  entered  the 
large  house,  and  left  the  cabin  to  the  horses. 

"  Nothing  specially  worthy  of  record  occurred  during 
the  ensuing  three  years  that  I  remained  at  home  before 
going  to  college.  I  worked  at  all  kinds  of  labor — carpen- 
try, cabinet-making,  farming,  sawing  lumber,  grinding 
grain,  and  wool-carding.     Just  before  going  to  college,  I 

4 


38  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK1N. 

made  a  neat  cherry  cradle  for  my  brother  David,  then  a 
baby.  .  .  .  The  first  summer  of  our  sojourn,  I  killed 
seventeen  rattlesnakes."* 

Further  details  of  the  formation  of  the  new  home  at 
"Hope  Mills,"  and  of  the  trials  incident  thereto,  are 
given  in  his  notes  ;  but,  whilst  interesting  to  his  family  and 
intimate  friends,  they  would  not  prove  so  much  so  to  the 
general  reader.  The  foregoing  has  been  transcribed  because 
it  throws  light  upon  the  development  of  those  remarkable 
powers,  physical,  moral,  and  intellectual,  which  made  Dr. 
Junkin  the  man  he  was.  The  sketches  which  he  has  given 
of  his  youth,  graphic,  simple,  and  unaffected  as  they  are, 
enable  us  to  account  for  the  remarkable  constitution  of  his 
manhood,  especially  for  that  "mens  sana  in  corpore  sano" 
which  enabled  him  to  do  such  a  life-work  as  we  hope  to 
record.  His  triune  constitution,  "body,  soul,  and  spirit," 
was  finely,  proportionately,  and  vigorously  developed  by 
the  surroundings  and  employments  of  his  earlier  life.  His 
bodily  frame,  although  below  medium  height,  was  massive, 
firmly  knit,  and  wondrously  muscular.  Energy  and  en- 
durance pervaded  every  joint,  nerve,  and  fibre.  Quick- 
ness of  mechanical  perception,  and  an  intuitive  prompt- 
ness to  apply  the  mechanical  powers,  gave  efficacy  to  his 
physical  exertions.  An  early  fondness  for  inquiring  after 
the  reasons  of  things  was  fostered  both  by  paternal  example 
and  by  his  daily  employments.  The  very  meagreness  of 
his  opportunities  and  appliances  of  education  but  stimulated 
a  mind  like  his  to  higher  exertion,  whilst  the  entire  process 
of  development  went  on  amid  domestic,  social,  and  church 
influences,  all  tending  to  produce  a  consecration  of  all  his 
powers  to  the  higher  and  holier  spheres  of  human  duty  and 
exertion. 

During  these  three  years  the  new  homestead  at  Hope 

*  Rem. 


MINISTERS  AT  MERCER. 


39 


Mills  was  founded,  the  farm  opened,  a  flouring-mill,  the 
largest  in  the  country,  and  with  the  first  set  of  French  burr 
millstones  north  of  the  Ohio,  erected,  carding-machines,  a 
fulling  and  cloth-dressing  mill  established,  the  first  in  the 
county,  and  other  improvements  made.  In  all  this  the 
youth  of  sixteen  to  nineteen  bore  a  full  share,  and,  next  to 
the  oldest  brother,  was  probably  the  most  efficient.  Mean- 
time, his  efforts  at  self-improvement  were  not  relaxed,  nor 
"the  great  concern"  neglected. 

"  During  these  years,"  continue  the  Reminiscences,  "  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Tait  was  the  Presbyterian  minister  in  Mercer 
and  vicinity,  the  first  that  was  settled  there,  having  come 
in  1800.  I  seldom  heard  him,  as  our  family  was  connected 
with  the  Associate  Reformed  body.  He  was  zealous, 
warm-hearted,  often  wept  whilst  preaching,  had  little  edu- 
cation, and  less  logic,  but  was  earnest  and  useful.  His 
preaching  failed  to  make  the  gospel  plan  clearly  under- 
stood, and  his  reproofs  often  had  a  hardening  influence. 
The  Associate  (seceders),  the  Reformed  Presbyterians 
(Covenanters),  and  the  A.  R.  Church  had  frequent  sup- 
plies, and  Mr.  T.  sometimes  made  hard  allusions  to  them ; 
but  I  now  think  his  ministrations  were  more  useful  than 
theirs,  which  were  too  dryly  doctrinal,  and  inclined  to  Anti- 
nomianism." 

George  Junkin  had  now  passed  his  eighteenth  year,  and, 
if  his  cherished  wish  to  obtain  a  liberal  education  was  ever 
to  be  gratified,  steps  looking  thereto  must  soon  be  taken. 
The  father,  who  had  once,  upon  Mr.  Caruther's  suggestion, 
formed  the  purpose  of  sending  him  to  college,  seems  to 
have  somewhat  faltered  in  regard  to  the  purpose.  But  the 
mother,  who,  like  Hannah,  had  given  him  in  her  heart  and 
her  prayers  to  the  Lord,  continued  steadfast  in  her  wish  to 
have  him  educated.  She  prevailed,  and  arrangements  were 
made  accordingly. 


CHAPTER    V. 

Enters  College — Dr.  Wylie — Governor  Hendricks — Dr.  McMillan — Dr. 
Ramsey — Mode  of  Study— Franklin  Society — As  a  Student — Corre- 
spondence with  Home  Circle — Its  Character  and  Influence — The  Father's 
Letters — Predestination. 

"  TN  May,  1809,  father  and  mother  and  I  set  out  in  the 
family  carriage  for  Canonsburg,  they  to  make  some 
purchases  in  Pittsburg,  and  I  to  enter  the  grammar-school 
of  Jefferson  College.  Arriving  at  Canonsburg  in  the  mid- 
dle of  vacation,  they  concluded  to  make  a  visit  to  my 
cousin,  Gen.  Thomas  Patterson's  family,  and  leave  me 
there  until  college  should  open.  Mrs.  Patterson  was  the 
oldest  daughter  (Elizabeth)  of  Hon.  Wm.  Findley,  pre- 
viously mentioned,  whose  wife  was  my  mother's  sister. 
Gen.  Patterson  was  a  man  of  some  mark  in  Washington 
County,  member  of  Congress  and  general  of  militia.  He 
was  the  first  to  introduce  the  merino  sheep  into  that  (now) 
great  wool-growing  county.  There  1  remained  two  weeks, 
and  then  went  to  Canonsburg. 

"At  Jefferson  I  boarded  for  a  time  with  Mrs.  Canon,  the 
widow  of  the  proprietor  of  the  town,  in  her  family  dwell- 
ing. Afterwards  with  a  Mr.  Daily,  with  whom  also  boarded 
the  late  President  Andrew  B.  Wylie,  and  the  late  Governor 
Hendricks,  of  Indiana,  both  then  in  the  junior  class.  Mr. 
Wylie  was  my  tutor  in  Latin.  I  usually  attended  the  min- 
istrations of  the  Rev.  John  McMillan,  afterward  Dr.  Mc- 
Millan, in  the  old  stone  church  of  Chartiers,  one  mile  south 
of  the  town;  sometimes  at  Dr.  Ramsay's  (seceder),  half  a 
mile  west  of  the  village.  Dr.  McMillan  was  a  man  of  a 
good  deal  of  strength  of  mind,  but  did  not  study  much. 
His  preaching  was  warm  and  hortatory,  his  reproofs  blunt, 
and  often  injurious,  by  reason  of  their  harshness.  Yet  had 
he  been  the  instrument  of  great  good  among  the  pioneers 
of  that  region,  not  only  in  preaching  the  gospel,  but  also 
in  bringing  out  young  men,  and  training  them  for  the  min- 
istry. His  log-cabin  academy  and  theological  school  was 
(40) 


TALENT  FOR    WRITING  AND   DISCUSSION.        4I 

really  the  nucleus  of  Jefferson  College,  and  the  parent  of 
much  of  the  education  of  the  West. 

"Mr.  (afterwards  Dr.)  Ramsey  was  a  student  and  a  rea- 
soner,  and  a  man  of  great  Christian  amiability.  His  enun- 
ciation was  slow,  his  attitudes  ungainly,  and  he  rubbed  his 
chin  so  incessantly  with  his  hand  that  his  whole  delivery 
was  tedious  and  unattractive.  Yet  his  discourses  were  clear 
and  instructive  to  one  willing  to  wait  on  his  tardiness.  I 
often  thought  that  if  these  two  men  could  be  combined  in 
one  it  would  be  a  decided  advantage  to  all  parties. 

"  Upon  entering  college,  or  rather  its  grammar-school, 
Ross's  Latin  Grammar  was  put  into  my  hand,  and  no  other 
study  assigned.  We  were  required  to  commit  certain  parts 
to  memory,  and  recite  by  rote.  Mr.  Wylie  never  took  a 
book  in  hand,  having  the  whole  in  memory.  No  explana- 
tion was  given  until  we  had  committed  the  book,  and  gone 
twice  over  it.  The  third  time  we  parsed  the  examples 
under  the  Syntax  rules,  and  committed  most  of  the  notes. 
Then  we  took  to  reading  Corderii  Colloquia,  and  other  pri- 
mary books.  I  doubt  whether  this  plan  be  not  better  than 
our  present  methods.  It  requires  faith  in  the  teacher,  and 
creates  memory.  After  all  my  experience,  I  think  it  best 
to  study  language  first,  and  afterwards  the  philosophy  of 
language.  For  two  sessions  we  studied  Latin,  then  began 
the  Greek."* 

During  the  time  of  his  connection  with  college,  events 
occurred  that  form  part  of  his  own  and  the  history  of  his 
times,  which  doubtless  had  their  influence  upon  his  forming 
character,  but  which  he  has  not  mentioned.  He  soon  de- 
veloped a  talent  for  writing  and  discussion,  which  made 
him  somewhat  distinguished  among  his  fellows.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  "Franklin  Literary  Society"  of  the  col- 
lege, and  was  twice,  as  the  old  archives  of  the  society 
show,  chosen  "contestor,"  and  won  honors  for  the  society 
in  its  annual  "contests"  with  the  rival  organization,  the 
"Philo  Literary  Society." 

His  contemporaries  in  college  spoke  of  him  as  a  grave 

*  Rem. 

A* 


42  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

and  rather  reserved  youth,  intent  upon  study,  and  full  and 
accurate  in  his  recitations.  His  powers  of  generalization 
and  analysis,  and  his  logical  acumen,  were  early  developed, 
and  made  him  of  mark  as  a  reasoner ;  and  it  was  conceded 
that  he  was  the  best  debater  in  the  college.  The  institution 
was  then  in  its  formative  state,  and  the  regular  college 
classes  were  small.  The  senior  class,  with  which  he  grad- 
uated, consisted  of  but  five  members;  but  this  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  calling  for  frequent  individual  recitations,  and 
consequent  thorough  training. 

Whilst  in  college,  correspondence  with  his  family  was 
kept  up.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  very  few  of  his  letters 
home  are  preserved  ;  but  the  tone  of  the  letters  from  home 
to  him  (for  we  find  many  if  not  all  of  them  on  his  files)  is 
indicative  of  not  only  the  deep  affection  with  which  he 
was  regarded  in  the  home  circle,  but  also  of  the  unwonted 
respect  and  confidence  with  which  brothers  and  sisters 
looked  upon  him.  They  all  betray  great  solicitude  for  his  spir- 
itual and  intellectual  progress,  and  they  seem  to  have  shown 
more  reverence  to  him  than  in  America  is  usually  accorded 
even  to  the  oldest  son,  although  he  was  the  fourth.  The 
father's  letters  to  him  are  fraught  with  paternal  solicitude 
and  wise  counsel,  and  they  sometimes  betray  a  measure  of 
respect  for  the  judgment  and  the  opinions  of  the  son, 
which,  from  such  a  father,  was  highly  complimentary  to 
the  maturity  of  the  youth's  understanding.  It  is  to  be 
regretted  that  the  son's  replies  are  lost ;  but  the  father's 
letters  disclose  the  fact  that  they  discussed,  in  their  corre- 
spondence, some  of  the  gravest  subjects  in  religion,  morals, 
and  civil  government.  This  was,  no  doubt,  one  of  the 
means  of  developing,  in  the  young  student,  that  capacity 
for  thorough  discussion  which  was  characteristic  of  his 
maturer  years.  This  was,  in  part,  the  training  that  quali- 
fied him  for  becoming  such  a  master  of  the  great  principles 
of  morals  and  of  constitutional  law,   and  for  rendering 


DOCTRINE    OF  PREDESTINATION. 


43 


such  valuable  service  in  the  two  great  controversies  in  which 
he  bore  a  prominent  part, — the  struggle  for  church  reform 
in  1834-38,  and  the  struggle  for  national  unity  of  1861-65. 
His  quenchless  love  for  the  Union,  and  his  veneration  for 
the  Constitution  of  his  country,  and  his  ability  to  defend 
both,  were  fostered  by  the  conversation  and  the  corre- 
spondence of  a  father,  who  had  bled,  and  toiled,  and  sacri- 
ficed for  the  establishment  of  both.  He  was  early  qualified 
to  be  the  author  of  such  a  book  as  the  "Political  Fal- 
lacies." 

This  correspondence  cannot  be  largely  quoted ;  an  ex- 
tract or  two  will  suffice  to  show  its  general  tone.  In  a 
letter,  dated  Mercer,  June  17th,  1809,  a  note  merely  of 
fifteen  lines,  we  read  : 

"  My  Son, — I  received  your  letter,  and  was  glad  to  learn 

that  you  are  well, — we  at  home  are  all  well 

You,  I  hope,  will  pay  all  due  attention  to  your  morals,  your 
health,  and  your  college  studies,  and  make  use  of  all  op- 
portunities to  get  your  mind  stored  with  useful  ideas.  If 
there  is  any  book  here  which  you  would  wish  to  have,  men- 
tion it  in  your  next  letter,  and  perhaps  I  can  send  it.  I 
think  Buchanan's  Syntax  would  be  of  use  to  you,  but  you 
can  ask  your  instructors.  I  send  by  Mr.  Johnson  the  money 
you  require.  I  much  approve  of  your  plan  of  keeping  a 
particular  account  of  all  your  outlayings,  and  be  careful  of 
your  money.  Shun  bad  company,  do  not  get  too  soon  in- 
timate with  any  person,  try  all  you  can  to  keep  both  tables 
of  the  Law,  viz.,  your  duty  to  God  and  to  man. 

"  I  remain  your  affectionate  father, 

"Joseph  Junkin." 

Another,  dated  a  year  and  a  half  later,  contains  a  suc- 
cinct argument  in  support  of  the  position  that  the  doctrine 
of  predestination  does  not  destroy  mental  freedom  or  re- 
sponsibility, nor  supersede  the  use  of  means.  So  much 
only  is  inserted  as  will  give  a  specimen  of  the  father's 
mode  of  thought,  which  the  son  inherited  and  improved. 


44  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

"January  29,  1811. 

"  My  Son, — If  you  receive  this  letter  you  will  have  it  in 
your  power  to  read  it  or  not  read  it,  to  burn  it  or  not  burn 
it,  to  show  it  to  a  fellow-student  or  not  to  show  it.  These, 
and  many  other  things  relative  to  it,  you  will  feel  yourself 
at  liberty  to  do  or  not  to  do;  and  whichever  of  them  you 
shall  do  is  exactly  what  was  predetermined  to  be  done. 
Here,  I  think,  is  freedom  of  will,  and  here  is  predestina- 
tion,— both  existing  without  much  contradiction. 

"That  it  is  perfectly  agreeable  to  the  nature  of  things  as 
divinely  constituted  that  the  destination  of  each  should  be 
unalterably  fixed  or  predetermined,  and  that  it  is  impossi- 
ble it  should  be  otherwise,  seems  to  me  an  undeniable 
truth.  A  person  must  either  die,  or  live  forever,  and  only 
one  of  these  can  possibly  take  place,  for  it  is  self-evident 
that  he  cannot  both  die  and  continue  to  live  here  forever. 
And  if  he  dies  he  must  die  at  some  one  time,  in  some  one 
place,  and  in  some  one  manner,  for  he  cannot  die  at  two 
different  times,  and  in  two  different  places  and  ways  ;  there- 
fore it  follows  that  whichever  of  the  two  events,  death  or 
life,  with  the  one  time,  place,  and  manner  thereof,  is  the 
only  one  possible,  and  must  have  been  fixed. 

"Moreover,  all  the  thoughts,  words,  and  actions  of 
mankind,  all  the  movements,  both  of  the  animate  and  in- 
animate creation,  must  necessarily  go  on  in  a  certain  man- 
ner, because  it  is  impossible  to  reverse  the  actual  state  of 
things,  or  cause  it  not  to  be.  A  man's  mother  is  his  mother, 
and  he  is  her  son,  and  this  relation  is  unalterably  so. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  suppose  them  to  be  alterable,  and 
nothing  but  absurdity  follows.  The  time  of  a  man's  birth 
or  death  might  not  be  the  set  time  ;  the  manner  of  it  might 
not  be  the  appointed  manner;  and  the  vast  movements  of 
creation  and  providence  would  be  worse  than  a  game  of' 
hazard. 

"Suppose  a  man  should  assert  that  his  destination  was 
not  unalterably  fixed,  but  that  by  Christ's  death  he  was 
placed  in  such  a  state  of  salvability  as  that  he  could  save 
himself,  and  that  he  now  had  it  in  his  power  to  go  either 
to  heaven  or  hell,  as  he  pleased.  Now,  by  the  foregoing 
reasoning,  that  same  man  will  be  either  saved  or  not  saved, 
for  he  cannot  be  both  saved  and  damned  ;  and,  even  if  he 
has  the  power  of  choice,  I  would  say  his  destiny  was  fixed ; 


DOCTRINE    OF  PREDESTINATION. 


45 


because  whatever  may  be  the  event  was  the  very  thing  pre- 
destined ;  and  all  the  steps  and  means  used  to  bring  about 
the  event  were  also  fixed,  and  none  else  could  take  place. 
On  the  whole,  I  cannot  see  that  even  the  admission  of  the 
above  Arminian  sentiment,  in  its  full  force,  will  shake  the 
doctrine  of  predestination,  or  involve  the  Calvinist  in 
greater  difficulties  than  the  Arminian 

"A  very  dreadful  calamity  lately  occurred  at  the  Falls 
of  Niagara.  Four  men  were  crossing  the  stream  on  a  boat 
loaded  with  salt.  They  were,  by  the  force  of  the  current 
and  a  storm,  forced  into  the  tremendous  rapids ;  the  steer- 
ing oar  was  thrown  off,  and  one  of  the  men,  leaping  upon 
it,  struggled  for  the  shore,  and  was  saved.  The  boat,  with 
the  other  three,  was  driven  over  the  falls,  and  seen  no 
more.  Now  will  any  man  say  that,  if  this  fourth  man  had 
sat  still  in  the  boat,  he  would  not  have  gone  over  with  the 
rest,  or  that  he  would  have  been  saved  without  using  any 
means  or  exertion  to  save  himself?  I  presume  not.  So 
the  means  must  be  used,  in  spiritual  things  also,  or  the  end 
cannot  be  attained ;  and  both  the  means  and  the  end  are 
alike  predetermined,  and  in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave  the 
agent  so  far  free  as  to  make  him  responsible,  and  the  ob- 
ject of  blame,  if  duty  be  neglected. 

"Had  the  man  sat  still  in  the  boat,  and  reasoned  thus, 
'  My  doom  is  fixed :  if  born  to  be  drowned  I  cannot 
escape,  and  if  not,  I  may:  I  will  make  no  exertion;'  or, 
after  reaching  the  oar,  had  he,  under  a  similar  abuse  of  the 
doctrine,  ceased  to  make  exertion,  he  would  have  been 
lost.  But  he  found  himself  in  possession  of  means  of  es- 
cape (not  very  promising,  either) ;  he  used  the  means  with 
all  his  might,  and  was  saved.  Had  he  neglected  exertion, 
he  had  failed  in  duty.  But,  believing  that  the  oar  and  his 
own  efforts  were  the  predestined  means  of  deliverance,  he 

used  means I  have  not  brought  forward 

Scripture  in  this  letter,  though  there  is  abundance  which 

would  apply;  but  this  you  can  find  in  your  Bible.     .     .     . 

"Your  affectionate  father, 

"Joseph  Junkin." 


CHAPTER    VI. 

War — Patriotism — Mercer  Blues — Professes  Religion — Rev.  James  Gallo- 
way— Closet  in  a  Thicket — Religious  Experience — Family  Changes — 
Alleghany  City  in  1812 — Sad  Tidings  from  Home — Returns  Home — 
Perils  by  the  Way — The  Mother's  Death — Graduation. 

WHILST  Mr.  Junkin  was  still  in  college,  the  troubles 
between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  reached 
their  crisis,  and  resulted  in  the  war  between  these  powers, 
begun  in  181 2,  and  public  affairs  were  discussed  in  the 
correspondence  between  the  home  circle  and  the  student. 
The  letters  all  indicate  strong  indignation  against  the 
wrongs  of  America,  and  against  the  insults  offered  to  our 
flag.  There  was  organized  at  Mercer  a  large  company  of 
volunteer  soldiers,  of  which  the  older  brother,  John  Jun- 
kin, was  captain,  and  the  brother-in-law,  Walter  Oliver, 
and  the  second  brother,  Joseph  Junkin,  were  subalterns. 
They  tendered  their  services  to  aid  General  Harrison  in  his 
Northwestern  campaign,  in  1812-13.  Previous  to  their 
marching,  and  during  one  of  his  visits  home,  the  student 
was  invited  to  deliver  an  address  before  this  body  of  sol- 
diers. The  writer  has  heard  survivors  of  that  gallant  band 
speak  of  that  address  with  warm  admiration;  and  it  is 
manifest  that  the  youth  of  181 2  exhibited  in  his  oration 
the  same  spirit  of  devotion  to  country,  which,  half  a  cen- 
tury afterwards,  the  old  man  of  threescore  and  twelve  dis- 
played in  the  "Political  Fallacies,"  and  in  many  an  address, 
and  in  many  an  effort  to  preserve  the  American  Union. 

That  company,  the  "  Mercer  Blues"  as  they  were  called, 

was  a  remarkable  body  of  citizen  soldiers.    They  numbered 

some  eighty  rifles;  and  so  large  a  proportion  of  them  were 

pious  young  men,  that,  in  every  tent  except  two,  family 

(46) 


PROFESSION  OF  RELIGION. 


47 


worship  was  maintained  by  the  mess  during  the  campaign, 
and  in  those  two  the  captain  often  officiated.  Nor  did 
their  devotion  diminish  the  perfection  of  their  military- 
discipline  and  efficiency.  Their  drill  was  as  perfect  as  that 
of  regulars,  and  General  Harrison  often  complimented 
them  for  their  gallantry  and  soldierly  bearing. 

But  during  these  college  years  another  important  step  in 
his  moral  and  religious  history  was  taken.  The  evidence 
of  the  great  change,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  he  thought  had 
occurred  in  his  tenth  year,  became  more  satisfactory ;  his 
perception  of  the  plan  of  salvation  became  clearer ;  and, 
having  embraced  the  promises  of  the  covenant  of  grace, 
he  made  public  profession  of  his  faith  in  Christ. 

"During  these  four  and  a  half  (college)  years,  I  was 
greatly  exercised  on  the  subject  of  my  soul's  welfare. 
Sometimes  I  thought  that  if  two  Sabbaths  could  come  to- 
gether I  would  get  through  my  difficulties.  Often,  under 
Dr.  McMillan's  preaching,  my  feelings  became  intense. 
No  one  ever  said  a  word  to  me  privately.  I  felt  the  burden 
of  sin,  but  was  long  in  obtaining  a  clear  view  of  the 
method  of  deliverance.  I  still  incline  to  the  belief  that  the 
mustard-seed  was  planted  and  became  a  living  thing  in 
1799;  but  its  growth  was  slow, — ah,  how  slow!  But, 
nevertheless,  I  was  regular  in  prayer,  and  always  attentive 
to  public  and  social  worship;  yet  in  this  last  I  was  some- 
times wearied  and  impatient  at  the  long  prayers  of  some 
of  Dr.  M. 's  elders;  doubtless  my  want  of  heart  in  the 
matter  formed  an  element  in  my  weariness. 

"In  181 1,  when  at  home,  I  first  became  acquainted  with 
the  Rev.  James  Galloway,  who  had  some  time  before  been 
ordained  and  installed  over  the  Associate  Reformed  Church 
of  Mercer,  of  which  my  father  was  a  ruling  elder.  He  was 
not  a  very  profound  scholar,  but  was  naturally  shrewd, 
logical,  eloquent,  and  earnest.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Jef- 
ferson, and  of  Dr.  Mason's  Seminary.  His  preaching  gave 
me  the  first  clear  views  of  the  atonement  and  justification, 
and  led  me  to  enjoy  comfort  in  believing,  and  to  profess 
Christ.  My  father  had  told  me,  before  I  had  heard  Mr. 
Galloway,  that  I  would  hear  'something  entirely  different' 


48  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

from  the  preaching  I  had  been  accustomed  to  hear.  And 
so  I  found  it.  The  way  of  deliverance  from  sin  by  the 
blood  of  Christ, — of  justification  by  his  righteousness, — of 
sanctification  by  his  Spirit,  all  became  plain.  My  doubts 
and  fears  passed  away,  and  I  came  to  enjoy  a  good  hope. 
I  found  more  comfort  in  secret  devotion.  I  used  to  walk 
out  in  the  morning,  for  secret  prayer  and  meditation.  I 
selected  a  retired  spot,  on  the  bank  of  the  Neshannock 
Creek,  in  the  midst  of  a  thicket  of  elder-bushes,  as  my 
closet;  and  there  I  wrestled  often  with  the  Angel  of  the 
covenant.  When  in  Mercer  County  last,  ten  years  ago 
(185 1),  I  went  down  and  looked  at  the  place.  That  year 
I  formally  united  with  the  church,  came  to  the  holy  sacra- 
ment of  the  Supper,  and  have  enjoyed  a  general  calm  and 
steady  hope  ever  since.  It  was  in  the  courthouse,  in 
Mercer,  where  the  congregation  then  worshipped,  that  I 
first  sealed  the  covenant.  Often,  indeed,  up  to  the  present 
time,  have  I  had  fights  with  Satan  and  'the  lust  of  the  flesh, 
the  lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life;'  but  through 
grace  I  have  been  kept  for  these  fifty  years,  and  God  will 
keep  me  to  the  end."* 

During  the  summer  of  181 1,  he  spent  most  of  the  time 
at  Hope  Mills,  and  all  his  vacations  were  spent  there,  ex- 
cept the  spring  vacation  of  181 3,  which  was  passed  at 
Canonsburg.  Whilst  at  home,  his  young  pastor,  Mr.  Gal- 
loway, was  his  room-mate,  and  he  not  only  heard  him  often 
from  the  pulpit,  but  was  much  in  his  private  society;  and 
doubtless  this  intercourse  was  blessed,  as  a  means  of  pro- 
ducing the  result  above  described. 

In  the  March  (12)  of  181 2,  Mr.  Galloway  was  married 
to  the  sister  (Agnes)  of  Mr.  Junkin,  by  the  Rev.  George 
Buchanan,  pastor  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Church,  of 
Steubenville ;  and  on  the  6th  of  the  following  June,  Mr. 
Buchanan  was  married,  by  Mr.  Galloway,  to  another  sister, 
Mary.  These  sisters  were  twins,  and  bore  so  close  a  re- 
semblance to  each  other,  that  even   their  own   children 


Rem. 


SAD    TIDINGS  FROM  HOME. 


49 


sometimes  failed  to  distinguish  them.  They  were  women 
of  remarkable  intelligence  and  decided  Christian  char- 
acter. 

Other  events  in  the  family  history  of  an  exciting,  and 
some  of  them  of  a  sad  character,  were  now  to  follow  in 
rapid  succession.  We  have  mentioned  that  the  adult 
"boys"  of  the  family  had  volunteered  in  the  military  ser- 
vice of  their  country.  They  marched  to  the  frontier  just 
before  the  student  returned  to  college,  in  the  autumn  of 
1812.  On  his  way  to  Canonsburg  via  Pittsburg,  to  make 
some  arrangements,  he  passed  their  encampment. 

"  I  found  them,  with  other  troops,  encamped  near  to  the 
base  of  'Hog-back,'  now  Alleghany  City.  The  plain  on 
which  that  part  of  the  city  now  stands  was  overgrown  with 
thick  bushes  eight  or  ten  feet  high.  They  had  cut  off  the 
bushes  from  a  space  upon  the  spot  where  the  Western  Peni- 
tentiary now  stands,  and  there  they  had  pitched  their  tents ; 
and  thence  they  marched  to  reinforce  General  Harrison,  at 
Fort  Meigs.  They  had  volunteered  for  six  months,  but 
remained  more  than  seven,  until  Harrison  said  he  was  safe 
without  them.  They  (the  Mercer  Blues)  found  their  own 
clothing,  uniform,  and  all  their  own  rifles,  tomahawks,  and 
knives,  and  their  own  Bibles  and  Psalm-books.  From 
Canonsburg  I  proceeded  to  Steubenville,  Ohio,  to  visit 
my  sister  (Mrs.  Buchanan)  and  family. 

"There  I  heard  of  General  Hull's  surrender  of  the  fort 
and  army  at  Detroit,  and  witnessed  the  departure  of  Colonel 
Andrew's  regiment  for  the  Northwest,  General  Ben  Tap- 
pan  at  its  head.  Brother  Buchanan  and  I  had  accompanied 
the  troops  a  few  miles,  and  when  we  returned  to  town,  we 
found  a  neighbor  of  the  family  at  Hope  Mills,  who  had 
ridden  express,  to  bear  to  us  the  sad  tidings  that  our  mother 
had  fallen,  broke  her  spinal  column,  and  would  probably 
die.  My  sister  set  out  with  him  forthwith,  direct  for 
Mercer.  I  mounted  and  rode  for  Pittsburg,  to  call  on  an 
eminent  physician  there.  I  rode  thirty-six  miles  that 
night, — tried  to  force  my  horse  into  the  swollen  current 
of  Chartiers's  Creek,  but  he  refused  to  enter.  God  would 
not  permit  me  to  drown  myself  and  horse.     I  was  com- 


5o  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

pelled  to  wait  for  daylight.  Next  day  rode  to  Pittsburg, 
and  thence  home,  sixty-five  miles  in  all, — the  longest 
horseback  ride  I  ever  made  in  one  day.  My  dear  mother 
suffered  greatly.  She  said  from  the  first  she  must  die. 
She  had  often  said,  when  the  conversation  had  turned  upon 
the  approaching  conflict  with  Britain,  that  she  had  seen 
one  war,  and  she  hoped  she  might  not  see  another.  Her 
wishes  were  gratified,  though  not  precisely  as  she  meant. 
She  spoke  calmly,  almost  triumphantly,  of  her  approaching 
death,  admonished  us  all  to  prepare,  and  remarked  that 
none  of  us  would  be  any  great  charge  except  David  (the 
youngest).  I  told  her  not  to  be  uneasy,  that  I  would  see 
that  he  should  be  taken  care  of.  She  said,  'The  Lord 
will  take  care  of  you  all  if  you  only  trust  in  Him.'  I  asked 
her  if  she  felt  that  He  had  done  so  for  her.  She  replied, 
'Oh,  yes,  I  trust  He  has.'  The  family  was  standing 
around  the  bed  as  the  last  moment  drew  on;  and  after 
speech  failed,  she  turned  her  eyes  upon  those  on  the  right, 
then  upon  those  on  the  left,  looking  each  deliberately  in 
the  face,  as  if  to  look  farewell,  until  she  came  to  father, 

and  on  him  she  gazed  to  the  last Oh,  how 

my  heart  did  bleed !  and,  oh,  how  earnestly  I  did  pray 
the  Lord  to  receive  her  to  Himself!  This  prayer  was,  I 
have  not  a  doubt,  answered  to  the  full,  for  she  had  for 
scores  of  years  labored  to  glorify  Him  before  the  world,  in 
a  lovely  and  consistent  Christian  life."* 

It  is  with  a  full  and  grateful  heart,  that  the  writer  of  these 
pages  records  that  the  pledge  given  to  his  dying  mother, 
by  this  beloved  brother,  fifty-eight  years  ago,  was  faith- 
fully and  lovingly  redeemed.  He  did  care  for  his  baby- 
brother,  with  all  a  brother's  tenderness,  with  all  a  father's 
solicitude;  cared  for  him  then, — cared  for  him  through  the 
educational  period;  and  the  more  than  paternal  affection 
and  fellowship  of  half  a  century  have  attested  the  strength 
and  warmth  of  that  love,  which  was  enjoined  by  a  dying 
mother's  latest  breath,  and  cherished,  most  likely,  by  her 
unseen  angel-ministrations. 

*Rem. 


GRADUATION. 


51 


In  September,  1813,  he  passed  his  final  examinations, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  first  degree  in  the  arts,  and  shortly 
afterwards  proceeded  to  Philadelphia,  and  thence  to  New 
York,  to  begin  the  study  of  theology  under  the  great  Dr. 
Mason.  But  as  his  journey  thither  was  in  strong  contrast, 
as  to  time  and  mode,  with  journeys  made  between  the  same 
points  now,  we  give  his  own  account  of  it.  This,  with 
some  retrospective  matters,  will  be  given  in  the  next 
chapter. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


Repairs  to  the  Theological  Seminary — Sets  out — Last  Interview  with  his 
Elder  Brother — Correspondence  between  the  Soldier  and  the  Student — 
Journey  to  Philadelphia — Visit  to  Cumberland — The  School — Disap- 
pointment— Philadelphia — First  Interviews  with  Life-long  Companions. 

"TN  October,  1813,  I  left  home  for  New  York,  to  study 
theology  with  Dr.  Mason.  My  father  gave  me  a 
horse  and  an  outfit,  and  some  money.  At  Pittsburg  I  met 
my  eldest  brother,  John,  homeward  bound  from  Washing- 
ton City.  We  stayed  together  that  night  at  a  hotel,  and 
next  morning  we  parted,  never  more  to  meet  on  earth.  He 
had  been  appointed  to  a  captaincy  in  the  regular  army  of 
the  U.  S.,  at  the  instance,  as  we  always  supposed,  of  Gen- 
eral Harrison.  My  brother  proceeded  to  Erie,  and  acted 
there  as  aid  to  General  Tanehill.  Afterwards  was  ordered 
on  recruiting  service  to  Mercer.  Some  of  his  men  were 
taken  sick  in  barracks,  and  in  attending  them  he  contracted 
a  camp  fever,  and  died  April  27,  181 4.  He  was  a  man  of 
piety  and  prayer,  of  superior  talents,  great  administrative 
ability,  and  very  much  of  a  favorite  with  the  army  and  the 
public.  His  wife  had  died  whilst  he  was  absent  in  the 
Northwestern  army,  leaving  an  only  daughter,  now  the  wife 
of  Hon.  Wm.  M.  Francis,  of  Lawrence  Co."* 

The  two  brothers,  whose  last  earthly  interview  is  recorded 
above,  were  both  remarkable  men  ;  and  their  characters, 
as  formed  under  the  influence  of  parental  piety  and  prayer, 
give  great  encouragement  to  parents  to  be  faithful,  whilst 
they  attest  the  truth  of  a  covenant-keeping  God. 

Captain  John  Junkin  was  the  only  one  of  the  seven 
brothers  who  was  not  either  a  minister  or  an  elder  in  the 

*  Rem. 
(52) 


SOLDIER  AND  STUDENT. 


53 


church,  and  he  was,  perhaps,  the  most  devout  of  the  seven 
who  attained  man's  estate;  but,  as  above  mentioned,  he 
died  young.  He  had  already  excited  high  expectations  in 
the  public  mind  of  his  future  usefulness  and  eminence.  The 
people  of  his  district  had,  in  his  absence,  nominated  him 
for  a  seat  in  the  State  legislature,  but  he  declined  it,  on  ac- 
count of  his  military  engagements.  A  few  extracts  from 
letters  that  passed  between  the  student  brother  in  college, 
and  the  soldier  brother  on  the  tented  field,  will  show  some- 
thing of  the  spirit  by  which  they  were  animated,  whilst  they 
will  shed  light  upon  the  history  of  the  period.  The  stu- 
dent thus  writes : 

"Home,  October  21,  1812. 

"Dear  Brother, — Not  that  I  can  convey  any  important 
news,  nor  that  I  can  communicate  any  instruction,  but  with 
the  hope  of  administering  some  consolation  and  Christian 
exhortation,  I  take  this  opportunity  of  addressing  you. 

"Since  receiving  news  from  you,  Martha  [the  soldier's 
wife]  is  quite  cheerful,  and  appears  quite  resigned  to  the 
dispensation  of  Providence  that  separates  you,  and  you  may 
be  sure  that  if  you  write  often  you  will  relieve  the  anx- 
iety of  all  your  friends.  To-morrow  I  intend  starting  for 
Canonsburg,  and  if  you  will  direct  your  letters  to  that  place 
I  will  receive  them,  but  the  uncertainty  of  your  location 
will  render  it  difficult  for  my  letters  to  reach  you.  But  let 
not  this  prevent  you  from  writing  to  me. 

"You  doubtless  know  that  Christian  duties  are  apt  to  be 
shamefully  neglected  in  all  armies,  and  from  your  Bible  you 
have  learned,  that  when  the  Israelites  neglected  their  Cre- 
ator He  punished  them ;  but  when  their  armies  went  forth 
trusting  in  and  calling  upon  their  God,  He  granted  their 
requests,  and  made  them  to  triumph  over  their  enemies. 
This  will  ever  be  the  case ;  and  I  confidently  expect  (and 
this  forms  part  of  my  daily  prayer),  that  those  men  who 
daily  called  upon  the  Lord  while  abiding  in  quiet,  peaceful 
homes,  will  not  now,  when  called  into  danger,  neglect  this 
important  duty.  You  know  that  military  duty  is  apt  to  be- 
come irksome,  on  account  of  the  men  having  so  little  to  do. 
What  employment,  then,  could  engage  the  attention  of  the 
Christian  soldier  better  than  reading  and  meditating  upon 

5* 


54  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

that  volume  of  inspiration  which  is  worthy  the  study  of  the 
wisest?  In  this  you  will  find  abundant  employment  for 
your  leisure  moments.  When  I  picture  to  myself  a  band 
of  soldiers,  sitting  in  the  howling  wilderness,  surrounded 
by  the  savage  foe,  singing  the  praises  of  their  God,  I  say 
to  myself,  Surely  the  Lord  will  go  forth  with  their  hosts, 
and  my  mind  is  filled  with  the  highest  hopes  for  your  suc- 
cess  I  must  conclude,  commending  you  to 

the  care  of  Him  who  has  ever  preserved  you,  and  assuring 
you  that  your  welfare  and  success  are  near  my  heart.  Re- 
member me  to  '  the  Mercer  Blues'  in  terms  of  the  highest 
respect. 

"Your  friend  and  brother, 

"  Geo.  Junkin." 

The  soldier  brother  writes  to  the  student  as  follows : 

"Northwestern  Army,  near  Mansfield,  Ohio, 
"November  30,  1812. 

"Dear  Brother, — I  am  happy  to  inform  you  that  I 
am  well,  and  that  all  my  company  are  fit  for  duty  except 
two.  .  .  I  expect  both  will  soon  be  well.  A  melan- 
choly accident  happened  yesterday  morning  before  day- 
light. A  violent  storm  of  wind  blew  down  a  tree  upon 
our  line  of  tents  (Capt.  Dawson's  company),  which  killed 
one,  and  severely  wounded  five  others.  .  .  .  You  can 
imagine  what  a  distressing  scene  this  was  to  us;  but  it  might 
have  been  more  so.  He  who  ruleth  all  things  hath  his  de- 
sign in  every  event  that  takes  place.  Let  man,  poor  mortal 
man,  who  cannot  see  one  moment  before  him,  be  always 
ready  to  meet  his  fate,  whether  prosperous  or  adverse.  Our 
battalion  marched  from  here  to-day  as  a  guard  to  the  artil- 
lery (thirty-one  pieces)  for  Upper  Sandusky.  A  body  of 
troops  lie  at  Lower  Sandusky,  a  body  at  Huron,  and  the 
Kentuckians  and  Virginians  move  on  to  meet  us  at  Upper 
Sandusky.  General  Tupper,  with  five  hundred  men, 
gave  the  Indians  a  severe  brush  at  the  rapids  of  Maumee, 
without  the  loss  of  a  man  in  battle.  He  lost  four  killed 
and  one  wounded  afterwards  by  a  fire  from  a  cornfield.  I 
do  not  think  we  will  see  any  Indian  enemy  this  side  of 
Detroit  River ;  but  if  we  should,  and  have  to  meet  them  in 
battle,  I  trust  I  shall  be  enabled  to  discharge  my  duty,  both 


SOLDIER  AND  STUDENT. 


55 


as  a  soldier  and  a  Christian,  putting  my  trust  where  it  may- 
be safely  placed.  Our  cause  is  a  just  one,  and  I  have  en- 
gaged in  it,  believing  it  to  be  so;  and  I  will  go  forward 
with  a  full  persuasion  of  assistance  and  protection  from 
Him  who  is  the  Lord  of  armies,  and  who  ruleth  them  as 
He  sees  proper.  Do  not  forget  to  write  to  me  often,  and 
forgive  my  negligence,  for  I  have  little  time  to  spare,  and 
a  very  inconvenient  way  of  writing.  But  believe  me,  sir, 
your  most  affectionate  brother, 

"John  Junkin." 

The  answer  to  the  above,  alluded  to  in  the  following,  is 
not  preserved.     The  soldier  brother  writes  : 

"  Headquarters,  Miami  Rapids, 
"February  12,  1813.* 

"Dear  Brother, — I  received  yours  of  the  26th  ult., 
and  intended  answering  it  from  Upper  Sandusky,  but  was 
ordered  off  suddenly,  and  had  not  time;  and  now  you  can 
have  but  barely  an  acknowledgment.  We  arrived  here 
yesterday.  Our  force  I  do  not  precisely  know — perhaps 
five  thousand.  More  will  soon  join  us.  Winchester's  mis- 
fortune, at  the  river  Raisin,  you  will  have  heard  of  perhaps 
more  correctly  than  I  could  state  it.  Harrison  pursued  a 
body  of  Indians,  two  nights  since,  about  twenty-five  miles. 
They  headed  for  Maiden,  and  he  returned  to  camp.     Our 

army  is  well  supplied Desertion   is   not  now 

frequent.  The  cowards,  I  think,  are  now  all  drained  from 
among  us,  and  the  men  now  present  in  the  army  will  do 
more  than  if  they  that  have  deserted  had  remained  with  us. 

"What  the  intended  movements  of  the  army  are,  none 
but  General  Harrison  knows ;  and  it  is  right  it  should  be 
so.  What  the  results  of  the  movements  may  be,  God  only 
knows.  He  who  ruleth  the  armies  of  men,  and  giveth  the 
battle  to  whom  He  pleaseth,  can  save  by  many  or  by  few. 
That  we  may  all  be  enabled  to  place  our  trust  in  the  King 
of  kings  is  the  prayer  of  your 

"  Most  affectionate  brother, 

"John  Junkin." 

*  Two  days  after  the  date  of  this  letter,  the  young  wife  of  the  writer  of  it 
died,  at  his  home  at  the  Hope  Mills. 


5  6  LIFE    OF  DR.  GEORGE   J  UN  KIN. 

This  much  of  the  correspondence  between  these  brothers 
will  suffice  to  show  the  spirit  of  the  young  men,  as  Chris- 
tians and  as  patriots;  and  we  digress  no  further.  The 
student  brother  always  retained  a  deep  affection  for  the 
soldier.  They  met  no  more  in  this  life  after  the  parting 
above  described.  The  one  returned  to  his  military  duties 
upon  our  threatened  frontier,  the  other  proceeded  to  New 
York  to  prosecute  his  theological  studies.  We  give,  in  his 
own  words,  his  reminiscences  of  that  journey: 

"Next  day,  after  leaving  Pittsburg,  as  I  was  ascending 
Turtle  Creek  Hill,  eastward,  I  met  some  wagons  hauling 
goods  from  Philadelphia.  They  had  doubled  teams  going 
down  hill,  and  yet  were  'stalled'  in  the  mud,  with  seven 
horses  in  a  team.  One  of  them  shouted,  as  I  passed, 
'Glorious  work  for  ten  dollars  a  hundred!'  Thus,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1813,  men  complained  that  ten  dollars  was  too  little 
compensation  for  hauling  one  hundred  and  twelve  pounds 
of  goods  from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburg.  Lo,  the  change ! 
Now  it  can  be  done  for  one-twentieth  of  that  sum.  On 
Sideling  Hill,  near  Mercersburg,  I  fell  in  with  the  Rev. 
John  Jamieson,  once  pastor  at  Newville,  and  we  rode  to- 
gether nearly  to  that  town.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  the 
Rev.  Jesse  M.  Jamieson,  our  missionary  to  India." 

He  then  gives  details  of  his  visits  in  Cumberland  County, 
which,  although  interesting  to  the  family  and  their  circle 
of  acquaintances,  would  not  interest  the  general  reader. 
He  visited  his  native  mansion,  walked  over  the  grounds 
and  through  the  apartments,  and  called  upon  many  friends 
of  his  boyhood : 

"  I  hitched  my  horse  in  front  of  the  old  schoolhouse, 
and  went  in,  and  tried  whether  Master  Jamieson  would 
know  me.  But  he  did  not.  When  I  told  him  who  I  was, 
he  seemed  much  moved,  and  very  glad  to  see  me.  There 
were  no  scholars  that  I  knew,  though  others  of  the  same 
old  families  filled  the  benches.  Seven  years  had  made 
more  changes  in  the  schoolhouse  than  elsewhere  in  the 


57 


ARRIVAL   IN  PHILADELPHIA. 

neighborhood.    I  went  down  to  D W 's,  but * 

was  not  there.  She  was  at  Dr.  Smith's,  in  Princeton, 
New  Jersey. 

"Next  day  I  went  through  Harrisburg.  The  bridge  over 
the  Susquehanna  at  that  place  was  partly  built,  but  we 
crossed  in  a  scow.  At  Lancaster  I  sold  (by  auctioneer  in 
the  street)  my  horse,  saddle,  and  bridle,  and  next  day  set 
out  by  stage  fcr  Philadelphia.  Arrived  there,  I  proceeded 
to  deliver  a  letter  of  introduction  from  Mr.  Galloway  to 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Gray,  by  whom  and  his  family  I  was  very 
kindly  received.  I  was  there  introduced  to  Mr.  John 
Knoxf  and  his  brother  Samuel.  The  former,  like  myself, 
was  on  his  way  to  Dr.  Mason's  seminary,  at  New  York ; 
the  latter  had  come  to  take  back  the  horse  which  he  had 
ridden,  for  at  that  time  there  was  no  public  conveyance 
from  Gettysburg,  near  to  which,  in  Adams  County,  the 
Knox  family  lived. 

"  Next  day,  a  young  lady  came  in  from  the  marble 
house,  just  round  the  corner  (Tenth  and  Market)  from 
Dr.  Gray's.  Her  father  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  (Scots') 
church  of  which  Dr.  Gray  was  pastor,  and  the  families 
were  in  close  intimacy;  and  there,  in  that  back  parlor,  I 
for  the  first  time  met  one  who  was  destined  to  bless  me 
in  a  life  of  peace  and  joy  known  to  few  married  pairs. 
Thanks  be  to  God  for  his  wondrous  goodness. 

"  Mr.  Knox  and  I  remained  two  or  three  days  in  Phila- 
delphia, both  probably  having  some  attractions.  I  was  a 
novus  homo,  and  had  many  sights  to  see  in  the  city ;  and 
the  acquaintances  we  had  made  were  pleasant.  By  this 
delay  we  lost  Dr.  Mason's  introductory  lecture.  For  two 
years  there  was  before  my  eyes  a  vivid  image  of  her  whom 
I  had  met  at  Dr.  Gray's.  Then  I  heard  in  New  York  that 
the  Rev.  Charles  G.  McLean  had  married  one  of  the 
Misses  M.  'Which  of  them?'  I  inquired.  'The  hand- 
somest,' was  the  reply.     This  threw  a  damper  over  my 

*  Mrs.  W.  had  been  the  widow  of  Dr.  Witherspoon,  and  was  now  the 

wife  of  Mr.  W ,  and  her  daughter  is  alluded  to  in  the  text ;  the  object 

of  a  boy  affection.  She  was  afterwards  the  wife  of  Dr.  Woods,  of  Lewis- 
town. 

f  Here  began  an  acquaintance  and  friendship  that  was  life-long.  See 
Appendix  A. 


5  8  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE   JUNK'IN. 

spirits, — I  dared  no  further  inquiry.  More  than  a  year 
passed  after  this  before  I  ascertained  that  Mr.  McLean  had 
married  the  third  Miss  M.,  whom  I  had  not  seen  when  in 
Philadelphia,  she  having  been  with  her  sick  father  at  their 
country-seat,  near  Valley  Forge.  So  the  youngest  was  still 
left." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Journey  to  New  York — State  of  Travel  in  1813 — Crossing  the  Hudson — 
The  Slidells — First  Meeting  with  Dr.  Mason — Sketch  of  that  Great  Man — 
His  Mode  of  Teaching — Commentators — Dr.  Mason  as  a  Preacher — 
His  Wonderful  Labors — The  First  Prayer-Meeting — The  First  Sabbath- 
School  in  N.  Y. — Mr.  J.  the  First  Superintendent — Mr.  J.  Teaches — 
Elder  Garrett  Hyer — Pupils— Mrs.  Bethune— Mrs.  Graham — Dr.  G.  W. 
Bethune  —  Seminary  Friendships  —  Eminent  Contemporaries  —  Corre- 
spondence— Return  to  Hope  Mills — Thirty  Pieces  of  Silver. 

"  T)UT,  t0  return  to  historical  order.  Brother  Knox  and 
J3  I  started  for  New  York  by  the  'swift  sure  line'  of 
stages.  We  left  Philadelphia  at  daylight,  crossed  the  Del- 
aware at  New  Hope,  and  lodged  the  first  night  at  Somer- 
ville,  and  reached  Paulus  Hook  a  little  before  sunset  the 
next  day.  I  have  lived  to  pass  from  city  to  city  in  a  little 
more  than  three  hours.  We  crossed  the  Hudson  in  a  '  shal- 
lop,' shaped  a  good  deal  like  a  clam-shell.  Cross  ledges 
were  nailed  to  the  bottom  at  either  end,  to  prevent  horses 
from  slipping  as  they  entered  or  went  out.  A  similar  con- 
trivance gave  them  sure  footing  upon  the  inclined  plane, 
formed  of  planks,  that  constituted  the  landing  on  either 
side ;  and  this  plane  was  far  under  water,  as  to  its  lower 
portion,  at  high  tide.  The  shallop  had  a  mast  and  sails, 
as  well  as  oars.  It  would  sail  only  when  there  was  a  full 
load,  and,  as  the  stage  did  not  go  over,  we  had  to  wait  a 
considerable  while,  until  a  sufficient  number  of  carts  and 
horses  came  to  justify  the  voyage.  Such  was  travel  between 
the  two  great  cities  fifty  years  ago. 

"  My  emotions  were  very  vivid  when  Brother  Knox,  who 
had  been  to  the  seminary  before,  pointed  out,  from  the  top 
of  Bergen  Hill,  the  various  steeples  of  the  city,  and,  among 
them,  that  of  Dr.  Mason's  church,  in  Murray  Street,  where 

I  expected  to  be  a  worshipper  for  four  years 

I  remained  with  Brother  Knox  that  night  at  his  boarding- 
house  in  Walker  Street,  and  the  next  morning  went  to  see 

(59) 


60  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

my  friend  McElroy,*  at  his  boarding-place  in  Lispenard 
Street,  and  with  him  went  to  Dr.  Mason's,  and  was  intro- 
duced to  that  great  man,  great  preacher,  and  great  teacher, 

together  with  many  of  his  students I  went  to 

boarding  with  a  Mrs.  Watson,  in  Liberty  Street,  near 
Greenwich.  There  were  eight  inmates  of  the  family,  .  .  . 
all  now  dead,  unless  it  be  H.  Dodge,  who  has  since  been 
U.  S.  Senator  from  Wisconsin,  and  myself.  How  tran- 
sient and  vain  is  human  life  !  There  was  no 
gas  in  New  York  then,  and  the  first  candles  I  bought  were 
short  six-dips,  bought  from  John  Slidell,  a  tallow-chandler 
in  Broadway,  whose  shop,  a  one  story,  or  story  and  a  half, 
frame,  stood  opposite  the  lower  part  of  Trinity  Church- 
yard. This  tallow-chandler  was  a  respectable  man,  and,  in 
my  judgment,  far  superior  to  his  son  John,  of  secession 
notoriety,  who  was  the  boy  in  the  shop  who  served  me  with 
short  sixes. 

"Prof.  James  M.  Matthews  was  instructor  in  Hebrew 
and  church  history  in  our  seminary.  He  was  at  the  same 
time  pastor  of  Gardner  Street — the  South  Dutch — Church. 
He  was  not  very  popular  with  the  students  in  either  depart- 
ment, and,  indeed,  it  would  have  been  difficult  for  even  a 
man  of  abilities  superior  to  his  to  have  made  any  impres- 
sion alongside  of  the  great  Mason Of  Dr. 

Mason  the  highest  respect,  veneration,  and  love  pervaded 
all  his  students.  His  person  was  commanding,  tall,  erect, 
large,  and  dignified  ;  his  presence  and  manner  graceful, 
kind,  courteous.  At  first  one  felt  awe-struck  in  his  pres- 
ence, but,  after  a  few  moments'  conversation,  felt  perfectly 
at  ease,  and  embosomed  in  friendship  and  confidence.  He 
had  a  wonderful  capacity  to  draw  out  a  young  man,  and 
make  him  think  for  himself.  Indeed,  he  often  said,  'You 
must  educate  yourselves.  I  can  do  but  little  for  you,  and 
that  little  is  just  to  guide  you  in  the  work  of  self-educa- 
tion.' 

"Dr.  Mason's  method  of  instruction  was  the  conversa- 
tional lecture.  He  held  that  a  system  of  read  lectures  was 
never  efficient ;  this  he  called  the  pumping  system.  .  .  . 
To  aid  the  student  in  thinking,  he  submitted  a  series  of 
questions  upon  every  subject  studied.     He  carried  on  three 

*  Dr.  Joseph  McElroy,  another  life-long  friend. 


SKETCH  OF  DR.  MASON.  6 1 

courses, — Old  Testament  difficulties,  New  Testament  diffi- 
culties, and  Systematic  Theology,  the  Confession  of  Faith 
being  the  text-book.  On  the  other  subjects  the  original 
Hebrew  and  Greek  were  the  only  text-books,  but  reference 
was  made  to  authors  for  aid.  He  everywhere  interrogated 
his  students,  stating  difficulties  and  asking  their  solution. 
He  was  never  satisfied  with  a  statement  of  what  the  refer- 
ence books  said,  but  'What  do  you  think  and  say  on  this 
subject?  What  does  the  Bible  say?  How  do  you  under- 
stand its  teaching?'  Human  authority  in  divine  things  he 
always  and  utterly  ignored.  He  rather  discouraged  read- 
ing, and  especially  commentators.  'First  of  all,'  he  would 
say,  'go  to  the  originals ;  study,  labor,  compare;  and  when 
you  have  worked  out  your  matter  yourself,  then  you  may 
consult  commentators  to  advantage  ;  but  do  not  go  to  them 
in  the  first  instance,  or  you  will  sacrifice  the  independence 
of  your  own  minds,  and  take  for  commandments  the  doc- 
trines of  men.' 

"As  a  preacher,  my  estimate  of  him  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  during  the  first  three  sessions  he  never  de- 
livered a  discourse  in  New  York  that  I  did  not  hear.  The 
fourth  I  missed  some,  because,  having  been  licensed  to 
preach,  I  was  often  called  to  preach  myself,  and  so  could 
not  hear  him.  His  power  in  the  pulpit  as  an  expounder 
and  enforcer  of  Bible  truth  was  unique,  and  bid  defiance 
to  all  comparison.  I  never  heard  any  other  preacher  in 
whom  I  could  find  the  elements  of  a  comparison.  The 
grand  subject  of  our  Saviour's  divinity,  anything  that 
tended  to  enhance  our  estimate  of  the  glory  of  the  Son  of 
God,  instantly  aroused  him,  and  called  forth  all  the  ener- 
gies of  this  intellectual  giant.  No  man,  in  the  range  of  my 
knowledge,  could  ever  roar  like  this  lion,  or  soar  like  this 
eagle.  Oh,  how  often  I  have  wished  that  I  could  live 
always  in  New  York  and  be  under  his  ministry  ! 

"He  never  used  notes  in  the  pulpit  until  near  his  end, 
and  was  much  opposed  to  the  practice.  Reading  is  not 
preaching,  and  no  man  can  throw  his  soul  into  his  utter- 
ances who  is  tied  down  to  paper.  But  there  is  no  man  so 
strong  but  that  he  maybe  overburdened  and  broken  down. 
He  was  Provost  of  Columbia  College,  pastor  of  a  new  and 
large  church,  and  professor  in  the  seminary.  He  had  about 
sixteen  sermons,  lectures,  and  recitations  per  week.     He 

6 


62  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

had  no  salary  as  professor  of  the  seminary,  and  that  from 
the  congregation  was  inadequate  to  support  his  family, 
therefore  he  undertook  the  college  labor,  and  was  thus 
crushed  down  in  the  middle  of  his  days!  The  church,  by 
imposing  upon  one  man  the  work  of  three,  broke  him  down 
by  his  fiftieth  year,  thus  losing  twenty  years'  service  of  this 
great  champion  of  truth."* 

Whilst  in  attendance  at  the  theological  seminary,  that 
earnest  spirit  of  Christian  enterprise  that  marked  the  whole 
career  of  Dr.  Junkin  began  to  develop  itself.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  first  public  social  prayer-meetings 
held  in  the  Associate  Reformed  Church ;  and  he  opened 
with  prayer  the  meeting  called  to  organize  the  first  Sabbath- 
school,  and  of  that  school  he  was  the  first  superintendent. 
Of  these  facts  the  following  mention  is  made  in  the  Rem- 
iniscences : 

"The  great  desideratum  of  that  day,  in  the  Associate 
Reformed  Churches,  was  the  social  prayer-meeting.  There 
were  two  or  three  small  private  meetings,  of  perhaps  eight 
to  fifteen  persons,  kept  up  in  private  parlors.  One  of 
these,  which  I  generally  attended,  was  held  at  the  house  of 
Elder  Rich.  These  were  useful,  but  there  was  no  prayer- 
meeting  of  a  public  character,  to  which  all  were  invited, 
until  1815.  Brother  Robert  McCartee  (afterwards  Dr. 
McCarteej  and  I  busied  ourselves  in  regard  to  this  matter. 
We  went  to  the  pastors,  Drs.  Mason,  Clarke,  and  McLeod, 
and,  obtaining  their  consent,  commenced  a  meeting  which 
never  stopped.  We  got  the  ministers  to  come,  generally, 
and  make  addresses,  and  the  laymen  to  lead  in  prayer.  It 
was  opened  in  the  schoolroom  of  the  old  Scotch  Church 
in  Pine  Street,  now  Dr.  McElroy's  in  Fourteenth  Street. 
Of  the  early  and  active  promoters  of  the  prayer-meetings, 
was  ruling  elder  Garrett  Hyer,  a  wholesale  grocer  and  an 
active  co-laborer  with  Dr.  Mason  in  the  Murray  Street 
Church.  At  the  close  of  my  first  session,  in  the  spring 
of  1S14,  this  gentleman  invited  me  to  make  one  of  his 
family,  and  oversee  the  studies  of   his  children,  and  see 


Rem. 


FIRST  SABBATH-SCHOOL   IN  NEW   YORK.        63 

that  they  got  their  lessons  well  for  the  schools  which  they 
attended.  Besides  this,  I  taught  arithmetic  one  hour  a 
day  in  a  female  seminary,  conducted  by  Miss  McLeod. 
There  were  only  two  boys  in  the  school,  by  special  favor, 
Alexander  Slidell,  brother  of  John,  and  Alexander  Rogers, 
grandson  of  Dr.  Rodgers,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church.  The  former  had  his  name  changed,  by  the  addi- 
tion of  McKenzie  ;  he  became  an  officer  in  the  U.  S.  navy, 
and  was  the  same  who  hung,  at  the  yard-arm,  young  Spen- 
cer and  another  youth  for  attempted  mutiny,  and  whose 
own  neck  was  afterwards  broken  by  his  horse  falling  in  the 
streets  of  Sing  Sing. 

"In  February  or  March,  1815,  Dr.  Mason  gave  notice 
from  the  pulpit,  one  Sabbath  morning,  inviting  the  people, 
gentlemen  particularly,  to  remain  after  the  congregation 
was  dismissed,  to  take  into  consideration  the  formation  of 
a  Sabbath-school.  Alderman  McCartee,  an  elder,  asked  me 
to  open  the  meeting  with  prayer,  which  I  did.  Arrangements 
were  made  and  a  school  organized  by  the  next  Sabbath. 
I  was  made  superintendent,  and  remained  so  till  I  left  the 
city.  Mrs.  Bethune  had  held  a  school  in  her  parlor  the 
Sabbath  before.  But  ours  was  the  first  public  organization 
of  a  Sabbath-school.  Others,  however,  were  formed  the 
same  day.  Mrs.  Bethune  had  received  papers  from  Mr. 
Bogue,  of  England,  giving  accounts  of  their  operation  in 
that  country. 

"  This  eminently  godly  woman  is  too  well  known  to  need 
mention  from  me.  The  daughter  of  that  eminent  saint, 
Isabella  Graham,  and  wife  of  that  man  of  God,  Divie 
Bethune,  she  was  the  mother  of  that  very  popular  and  im- 
pressive preacher,  George  W.  Bethune,  D.D.  By  way,  as 
I  supposed,  of  aiding  me,  and  of  getting  George  trained 
to  regular  habits  of  study,  she  sent  him  to  me,  for  instruc- 
tion in  history,  etc.,  one  hour  a  day. 

"In  1815,  the  ladies  of  Mr.  Hyer's  family  and  myself 
spent  some  two  months  of  the  hot  term  at  the  seashore, 
near  Shrewsbury  River.  Mr.  Hyer  and  the  boys  came 
down  generally  on  Saturday,  and  we  enjoyed  salt-water 
and  sea-air,  with  rough  country  fare,  with  a  zest.  This 
rustication  was  of  great  advantage  to  my  health." 

During  these    years  of  seminary  life,  Mr.  Junkin  had 


/ 


64  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

formed  friendships  with  a  pretty  large  circle  of  his  fellow- 
students,  many  of  whom  have  been  eminent  lights  of  the 
church  and  the  world  in  their  generation.  These  friend- 
ships were  fostered  by  close  and  genial  Christian  intimacy 
in  term-time,  and  by  correspondence  during  vacations,  and 
after  some  of  his  friends  who  were  further  advanced  in 
their  studies  had  left  the  seminary  and  entered  upon  active 
ministerial  life.  Many  of  these  friendships  proved  life- 
long, and  of  a  warmth  and  permanency  rarely  witnessed 
in  this  world  of  selfishness.  It  has  often  and  truthfully 
been  remarked,  that  Dr.  Mason's  students  retained  for  each 
other  a  very  ardent  and  lasting  regard,  which  years,  dis- 
tance, and  the  cares  of  life  and  of  official  duty  seemed 
powerless  to  abate.  And  they  were  no  ordinary  men.  A 
remarkable  proportion  of  them  became  eminent  in  the 
sacred  profession,  occupied  the  high  places  of  the  field, 
and  were  noted  for  ability,  efficiency,  and  usefulness  in 
their  Master's  service.  Such  were  Drs.  Knox,  McElroy, 
Phillips,  DeWitt,  of  Harrisburg,  Duncan,  McClelland,  Duf- 
field,  Campbell,  C.  G.  McLean,  Presley,  of  Pittsburg,  Steel, 
Galloway,  MacDill,  Van  Vechten,  and  many  others. 

The  writer  has  had  opportunities  of  noting  this  charac- 
teristic of  Dr.  Mason's  pupils,  a  phenomenon  in  social  and 
even  in  Christian  life  as  unusual  as  it  is  pleasing.  He  has 
heard  others  commenting  upon  it,  and  cannot  but  think 
that  it  is  attributable,  in  great  measure,  to  the  impress  left 
upon  them  by  that  great  master  in  Israel.  Rarely  has 
there  been  such  a  combination  of  transcendent  intellect, 
large  and  loving  heart,  gentle  magnanimity,  profound  eru- 
dition, childlike  humility,  commanding  physique,  courtly 
yet  conciliatory  manners,  and  impressive  presence,  as  met 
in  Dr.  Mason.  Rarely  has  there  arisen  a  great  teacher 
who  could  so  impress  himself  upon  his  pupils ;  and  rarely 
has  one  been  found,  the  tout  ensemble  of  whose  character 
and  presence  so  tended  to  wither,  in  those  who  approached 


SEMINARY  FRIENDSHIPS. 


65 


him,  the  baser  elements  of  manhood.  Meanness  quailed 
before  him,  and  he  seemed  to  possess  an  almost  magnetic 
power  of  attracting  others  to  the  emulation  of  his  own 
high  habitude.  Loving  Christ  with  intense  fervor,  and 
loving  his  students  for  Christ's  sake,  they  seemed  to 
breathe,  whilst  with  him,  an  atmosphere  of  love,  that  ever 
after  drew  them  to  one  another.  In  the  eloquent  language 
of  his  worthy  grandson: 

''Dr.  Mason's  moral  qualities  were  commensurate  with 
his  towering  mental  endowments.  His  standard  of  excel- 
lence was  a  lofty  one.  That  which  was  low  and  mean  and 
grovelling  he  could  not  abide.  It  was  spurned  from  his 
presence.  Yet  was  he  tender  as  the  most  loving  woman, 
and  ready  to  condescend  to  those  of  low  estate,  and  help 
them  to  rise.  His  students  were  his  friends  and  his  brethren. 
They  were  gathered  to  his  heart  in  the  most  sincere  regard 
and  love,  and  whatever  he  had,  or  could  command,  was 
freely  devoted  to  their  use  and  enjoyment.  It  was  not, 
then,  wonderful,  that  in  this  seminary  were  formed  friend- 
ships of  the  tenderest  and  most  enduring  character,  and 
that  from  it  went  forth,  to  the  service  of  the  church,  men 
fully  equipped  to  do  duty  most  effectively,  and  in  the  sub- 
lime spirit  of  true  Christian  devotion.  It  is  not  wonderful, 
that,  to  their  latest  hours,  they  loved  each  other  with  a 
mighty  love,  and  kindled  always  into  a  fervent  glow  in  the 
memories  of  the  years  they  had  spent  under  the  instruction 
of  their  almost  idolized  preceptor  !"* 

Dr.  Junkin,  with  that  systematic  order  which  marked 
his  life  and  was  an  element  of  his  success,  had  preserved, 
in  regular  files,  most,  if  not  all,  of  his  correspondence  ;  and 
the  letters  from  his  fellow-students,  extending  through  a 
period  of  fifty-five  years,  contain  abundant  proof  of  the 
facts  just  commented  upon.  The  writer  was  strongly 
tempted  to  make  copious  extracts  from  these  and  other 
letters,  not  only  to  illustrate  the  above  interesting  fact, 

*  Dr.  J.  H.  Mason  Knox's  discourse,  commemorative  of  Dr.  Junkin. 

6* 


66  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

but  because  they  afford  very  interesting  indices  of  the 
spirit  of  the  periods  at  which  they  were  written,  contain 
many  facts  not  elsewhere  recorded,  and  evolve,  in  no  small 
measure,  the  inner  life  that  gave  shape  to  much  of  the 
ecclesiastical  history  of  the  period  in  which  these  distin- 
guished men  were  actors.  He  is  restrained  only  by  the 
considerations  that  these  letters  were  not  written  for  the 
public  eye, — that  most  of  their  authors  have  gone  to  their 
reward,  and  their  consent  cannot  be  obtained, — and  be- 
cause their  insertion  would  swell  this  volume  beyond  the 
allotted  limits. 

Circumstances  occurred  which  induced  Mr.  Junkin  to 
defer  attendance  upon  the  fourth  year's  studies  in  the 
seminary  course  until  after  his  licensure,  and  some  time 
was  spent  in  actual  labor  in  the  field.  These  circum- 
stances he  details  in  his  Reminiscences,  as  follows: 

"Early  in  June,  we  received  information  [he  was  then 
at  the  seashore]  that  Dr.  Mason  was  about  to  make  a 
voyage  to  Europe,  and  would  be  absent  a  year.  I  did  not 
care  to  spend  a  session  at  the  seminary  without  his  pres- 
ence and  instructions.  I  concluded,  under  advice  of  my 
Presbytery,  to  take  license  to  preach,  and  await  Dr.  M.'s 
return.  The  rule  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Church  made 
it  obligatory  upon  all  their  students  to  study  four  years  at 
the  seminary  before  licensure.  I  accepted  the  proffer  of 
license,  upon  the  express  condition,  that  I  should  be  per- 
mitted to  spend  the  fourth  session  at  the  seminary  after 
Dr.  Mason  should  return,  as  the  studies  of  the  fourth  year 
were  chiefly  under  his  instruction.  Dr.  M.  heard  of  my 
proposed  license,  and  wrote  to  me  a  most  earnest  letter, 
remonstrating  against  my  course,  closing  with  this  remark: 
'Never  sacrifice  great  general  principles  to  mere  temporary 
expedients.' 

"The  Presbytery  [of  Monongahela]  having  assigned  me 
subjects  for  trial,  I  went  West  with  a  view  to  meet  Pres- 
bytery. My  friend  McElroy,  the  two  Lees,  and  myself, 
procured  a  two-horse  conveyance,  and  set  out  to  go  via 
Easton,   Allentown,    Reading,   Harrisburg,    and    Carlisle, 


THIRTY  PIECES   OF  SILVER.  67 

direct  to  Pittsburg.  We  were  rather  a  jovial  party,  and 
the  journey,  though  long,  was  a  pleasant  one.  After  spend- 
ing a  Sabbath  in  Cumberland  County,  we  reached  Pittsburg 
in  safety.  The  chief  embarrassment  in  travelling,  at  that 
period,  was  the  want  of  money  that  would  pass.  Specie  was 
hid  away.  There  was  nothing  to  be  had  but  paper  rags, 
mostly  of  local  circulation.  My  kind  friend  Mrs.  Hyer, 
anticipating  this  difficulty,  had  quietly  stored  away,  for  my 
use,  all  the  silver  pieces  she  could  obtain ;  so  that  I  had 
enough  to  bear  me  through :  all,  too,  in  small  pieces. 
After  arriving  at  Mercer  I  had  some  left,  and  gave  thirty 
pieces  of  silver  to  the  Mercer  Bible  Society,  remarking,  in 
a  public  meeting,  '  Here  are  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  the 
same  ?iumber  at  which  a  great  personage  was  valued.  I 
give  it  to  promote  His  glorious  cause.'  " 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Licensed  to  Preach — Refused  at  first  by  the  Presbytery  on  account  of  his 
Liberal  Views  on  Catholic  Communion — First  Sermon — Worship  in  the 
Woods — Casuistic  Illustrations — Itinerates — The  Fallen  Minister  and  the 
Temperance  Resolve — Called  to  Newville — Declines  it — Synod — First 
Sermon  in  Philadelphia — Proceeds  as  an  Itinerant — Visits  Northern  New 
York — Final  Parting  with  Galloway — Last  Session  at  the  Seminary — In- 
vited to  Newburg — Declines— Pearl  Street — Wall  Street — Dr.  Phillips — 
Leaves  New  York  for  Philadelphia — Enters  upon  Missionary  Work — 
Silas  E.  Weir — Mrs.  Duncan's  Vow  and  Church — Philadelphia  in  1817 — 
Ordination — High  Sense  of  Duty — Matrimonial  Engagement. 

"TN  September,  with  all  my  trials  ready,  I  went  to  meet 
J_  the  Presbytery,  at  Noblestown,  Alleghany  County, 
Pa.  My  exercises  were  all  sustained  ;  but  whilst  under 
examination,  the  Rev.  Mungo  Dick  asked  my  opinion  in 
regard  to  intercommunion  with  other  branches  of  the 
church, — a  subject  which,  at  that  time,  was  exciting  great 
commotion.  I  stated  that  my  opinions  coincided  with 
those  of  Dr.  Mason,  who  had  published  a  book  upon  the 
subject,  viz.,  that  all  true  believers  were  one  in  Christ, 
and  might,  when  occasion  offered,  hold  fellowship  at  the 
Lord's  table,  etc.  I  was  then  asked  to  promise  not  to 
preach  this  doctrine.  To  this  I  objected,  alleging  that 
there  was,  in  the  book  directing  the  mode  of  license,  no 
such  promise  authorized  or  required.  I  said  I  did  not  de- 
sign to  preach  it  among  their  churches  at  that  exciting 
time ;  but  I  would  not  consent  to  bind  myself  indefinitely. 
The  Presbytery  then  refused  to  license  me  to  preach  the 
gospel.  I  then  asked  for  a  dismission,  to  place  myself 
under  the  care  of  the  Presbytery  of  Big  Spring,  east  of 
the  mountains.  They  hesitated  at  this  request ;  and, 
after  some  time,  they  revoked  the  refusal,  licensed  me, 
and  gave  me  appointments  to  preach  in  their  vacant 
churches."* 

*  Rem. 

(68) 


LICENSURE. 


69 


It  thus  appears  that,  even  before  he  was  licensed  to 
preach,  Mr.  Junkin  had  taken  a  firm  stand  against  the 
restrictive  policy  in  regard  to  Christian  communion,  and, 
whilst  willing  to  submit  to  his  brethren  so  far  as  to  promise 
not  to  agitate  this  subject  among  their  churches,  was  firm 
in  adhering  to  principle,  even  at  the  risk  of  great  incon- 
venience in  the  disconcerting  of  his  plans. 

"The  first  of  the  vacancies  which  I  was  appointed  to 
supply  was  Butler,  Pa.  The  appointment  was  made  near 
sundown  on  16th  of  September,  1816,  the  day  on  which 
I  was  licensed.  Butler  was  forty-six  miles  distant, — no 
notice  had  been  given, — but  I  reached  the  place  on  Satur- 
day p.m.,  and  the  next  day  I  preached  twice  in  the  court- 
house of  that  place.  This  was  my  first  service  as  a  preacher 
of  the  Word.  Next  Sabbath,  September  24,  I  preached  at 
White-Oak  Spring,  six  miles  from  Butler,  where  a  tent  or 
rostrum  was  erected,  in  the  wild  woods.  This  was  the  first 
time  worship  was  held  upon  that  spot.  Afterwards  it  be- 
came the  seat  of  a  flourishing  church The  details 

of  my  preaching  may  be  found  in  the  memoranda  I  have 

always  kept By  these  my  children  can  ascertain, 

if  they  wish,  where  I  was  and  what  I  preached  from,  any 
Sabbath  since  I  was  licensed,  except  a  very  few  instances. 

"  Shortly  after  the  meeting  at  which  I  was  licensed,  the 
Presbytery  met  in  Pittsburg,  to  ordain  and  install,  over  the 
first  A.  R.  Church  of  that  city,  my  dear  friend  McElroy. 
During  the  ordination  service,  the  two  ministers  who  had 
chiefly  opposed  my  licensure — one  from  Ireland  and 
another  from  North  Britain — were  spending  their  time  at 
the  tavern  where  they  had  left  their  horses.  These  men 
were  too  holy  to  participate  in  the  ordination  of  a  man 
who  felt  himself  not  too  holy  to  commune  with  evangelical 
Christians  out  of  his  own  denomination;  but  they  were 
not  too  holy  to  drink  gin  and  speak  censoriously  of  the 
Presbytery  and  of  the  man  whom  they  were  ordaining. 
How  marvellous  the  modifications  of  the  human  conscience ! 
To  sing  a  hymn  or  a  psalm  not  of  the  approved  version, 
or  to  go  to  the  table  of  the  Lord  in  another  church  than 
your  own,  is  a  grievous  sin ;  but  to  drink  gin  is  no  sin, 
if  it  be  done  in  connection  with  ardent  zeal  for  the  ortho- 
dox faith ! 


70  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

"  The  next  Sabbath  (Oct.  i)  I  spent  at  Mercer,  near  to 
the  home  of  my  father.     It  was  sacramental  occasion,  and 

I  preached   four  times On  the  last  Sabbath 

of  the  year  I  preached  in  a  cabin,  some  thirty  miles  west 
of  Cadiz,  Ohio.  The  cabin  was  about  eighteen  feet  by 
eighteen,  and  served  for  kitchen,  parlor,  and  bedroom, 
and,  on  this  occasion,  for  church.  It  was  filled  with  people 
to  hear  the  Word,  and  many,  though  it  was  winter,  stood 
outside Upon  this  spot,  then  nearly  a  wil- 
derness, there  now  stands  a  town,  with  a  college,  three 
churches,  and  a  thrifty  population.  Next  day  I  reached 
Pittsburg,  and  on  the  following  (New  Year's)  dined  with 
my  friend  McElroy,  upon  whom  I  had  waited  at  his  mar- 
riage a  few  weeks  before.  .  .  .  From  Pittsburg  I  went 
to  Newville,  Cumberland  Co.;  spent  a  Sabbath  at  a  preach- 
ing station  down  the  Juniata,  below  Bedford,  and  passed 
through  Black-Log  and  Ambrose  Valleys,  and  over  Black- 
Log  Mountain  by  an  almost  impassable  bridle-path,  and 
arrived  at  Newville,  where  I  was  asked  to  preach,  with  a 
view  to  the  pastorate.  There  I  preached  two  Sabbaths. 
Between  them  I  went  to  Carlisle,  and  preached  of  a  Wed- 
nesday evening  for  Brother  Duffield.*    In  his  study,  at  Dr. 

Armstrong's,  he  informed  me  of  the  fall  of  the  Rev. , 

one  of  our  ministers  of  brilliant  abilities,  under  the  fell 
power  of  alcohol.  Then  and  there,  before  I  rose  from  my 
seat,  I  secretly  decided  a  question  which  the  frequent  pre- 
sentation of  intoxicating  drinks,  as  a  token  of  hospitality, 
had  forced  upon  me ;  and  I  resolved  '  that,  God  helping 
me,  I  would  never  again  drink  any  ardent  spirits,  unless  in- 
dispensable as  a  medicine.'  I  never  was  drunk  in  my  life, 
never  approximated  that  state,  although  my  father,  like 
others,  had  always  kept  it  about  the  house,  and  it  had  been 
used  constantly  in  harvest  and  under  any  peculiar  exposure. 
But  I  had  seen  so  much  of  its  tendency,  and  had  been  so 
often  importuned  to  drink,  that  I  saw  my  only  safety  was 
in  total  abstinence. 

"My  visit  to  Newville  resulted  in  a  call,  which  I  was 
constrained  to  decline,  from  considerations  frankly  and 
fully  expressed  to  the  representatives  of  the  church. "f \ 

*  Dr.  George  Duffield,  late  of  Detroit.  f  Rem. 

\  One  was  insufficient  support,  the  other  that  too  much  whiskey  was  used 
among  the  people. 


FIRST  SERMON  IN  PHILADELPHIA. 


71 


In  the  spring  of  18x7  Mr.  Junkin  was  at  Philadelphia  at 
the  meeting  of  Synod,  where  he  and  his  friend  McElroy 
were  the  guests  of  Mrs.  Engles,  mother  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Wm.  M.  Engles  and  his  equally  learned  and  excellent 
brother,  Joseph  P.  Engles.  During  the  sessions  of  Synod, 
he  preached  his  first  sermon  in  Philadelphia,  from  the  text, 
I.  John  v.  20,  "This  is  the  true  God."  There  he  renewed 
his  acquaintance  with  the  Miller  family,  into  which  he 
afterwards  married.  Dr.  Mason  had,  meanwhile,  returned 
from  his  European  tour,  and  was  present  at  the  Synod,  and, 
in  the  presence  of  that  body,  gave  a  graphic  and  amusing 
account  of  the  state  of  religion  in  Europe,  and  especially 
in  France,  where  most  of  his  time  had  been  spent.  After 
the  Synod  adjourned,  Mr.  J.  went  to  New  York,  accom- 
panied by  his  brother-in-law,  the  Rev.  James  Galloway, 
travelling  on  horseback.  Mr.  Galloway's  health  was  fail- 
ing, and  his  tour  was  made  in  hope  of  restoring  it. 

"The  General  Synod  of  the  A.  R.  Church  had  control 
of  all  licentiates  and  unsettled  ministers,  and  distributed 
their  labors  among  the  Presbyteries  according  to  their  sev- 
eral needs.  Each  Presbytery  appointed  them  to  supply 
particular  vacancies  whilst  within  its  bounds.  I  was  sent 
into  the  bounds  of  the  Presbyteries  of  New  York  and  Sar- 
atoga. Whilst  in  New  York,  I  preached  my  first  sermon 
in  Dr.  Mason's  church,  and  then  proceeded  to  labor  until 
Fall  in  the  bounds  of  the  above-named  Presbyteries.  My 
first  point,  after  leaving  the  city,  was  Newburg,  a  vacancy. 
We  crossed  at  Hoboken,  and  travelled  on  horseback  up  the 
west  side  of  the  river. 

"At  Newburg  we  joined  Mr.  Allen  D.  Campbell  (after- 
wards Rev.  Dr.  Campbell,  of  Pittsburg).  After  a  few  days 
we  separated,  they,  Galloway  and  Campbell,  crossing  the 
North  River.  I  gazed  after  them  as  long  as  they  could  be 
discerned,  believing,  in  regard  to  my  dear  Galloway,  that 
it  was  my  last  sight  of  him  on  earth.  And  so  it  proved. 
After  preaching  two  Sabbaths  at  Newburg,  I  passed  up 
through  Albany  and  Troy  to  Cambridge,  my  next  station. 
Troy  was  then  an  insignificant  village.     I  visited  Salem, 


7 2  LIFE    OF  DR.    GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

where  then  resided  that  eminently  godly  man,  Dr.  Proudfit. 
I  never  was  in  a  family  where  religion  seemed  so  much  the 
business  of  the  household.  Three  times  a  day  they  held 
family  worship.  His  son  John,  then  a  boy,  was  afterwards 
Dr.  Proudfit,  Professor  in  Rutgers  College. 

"From  Salem  I  went  to  White  Hall, — the  Skeensborough 
of  the  Revolutionary  period, — a  small  village  at  the  head 
of  Lake  Champlain.  There  I  saw  the  hulks  of  McDon- 
ough's  fleet,  made  of  pine  timber,  and  fast  decaying. 
Hence  I  proceeded  to  Florida,  one  of  my  stations.  Thence 
I  visited  Union  College,  at  Schenectady.  Thence  to  Cal- 
edonia, where  I  preached  two  Sabbaths.  The  congregation 
here  were  all  Scotch.  They  showed  me  great  kindness,  and 
made  a  very  pressing  request  that  I  should  permit  them  to 
make  out  a  call  for  me.  But  I  persisted  in  my  purpose  of 
returning  to  the  seminary.  At  Caledonia  my  nice  straw- 
berry-roan horse  died,  and  I  took  stage  to  Newburg,  and 
thence  to  New  York  by  a  sloop  from  Kingston. 

"I  had  been  written  to  by  the  Session  of  the  Second  A. 
R.  Church,  Pearl  Street  near  Broadway,  New  York,  to  come 
and  supply  them,  but  felt  bound  to  fulfil  my  appointments 
at  Caledonia.  Before  I  returned  to  the  city  and  had  an 
opportunity  of  preaching  to  them,  my  beloved  classmate 
Phillips*  had  preached  for  them,  and  was  called  to  be 
their  pastor.  He  labored  among  them  for  a  few  years,  and 
was  then  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  he  is  still  (1862)  pastor.  Their  house 
of  worship  then  stood  in  Wall  Street,  between  Nassau  and 
Broadway.  They  subsequently  built  the  house  now  in  Fifth 
Avenue,  and  the  old  stone  First  Church  was  taken  to  Jersey 
City,  stone  by  stone,  and  re-erected  there,  precisely  as  it 
stood  in  Wall  Street. 

"During  the  session  of  1817-18,  I  preached  again  at 
Newburg,  N.  Y.,  and  was  urged  to  permit  them  to  make  a 
call  for  me ;  but,  having  visited  Philadelphia  during  the 
holidays,  my  attention  was  drawn  to  the  Margaret  Duncan 
Church,  in  Thirteenth  Street,  just  erected,  and  to  the  pro- 
posal to  attempt  building  up  a  congregation  there.  I 
therefore  declined  acceding  to  the  proposal  from  Newburg. 


Dr.  W.  W.  Phillips. 


MRS.  DUNCAN'S   CHURCH. 


73 


I  spent  the  winter  in  New  York,  at  the  seminary,  occasion- 
ally preaching  the  gospel.* 

"In  March,  1818,  I  left  New  York,  and  proceeded  to 
Philadelphia.  Dr.  Mason  had  just  returned  from  a  visit 
to  that  city,  and  informed  me  that  Mrs.  Duncan's  church 
edifice,  Thirteenth  Street,  was  completed  and  was  a  vacancy, 
and  he  encouraged  me  to  make  an  effort  to  gather  a  con- 
gregation in  it.  He  said  the  building  was  too  small  to 
contain  a  congregation  large  enough  to  support  a  minister, 
but  that,  if  the  effort  should  be  successful,  the  edifice  could 
be  enlarged,  and  that  provision  would  be  made  for  my 
support  as  an  evangelist.  As  I  was  departing  from  his 
house,  he  accompanied  me  to  the  door,  and  gave  me  a 
parting  blessing,  '  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither 
let  it  be  afraid.' 

"At  Philadelphia,  I  became  an  inmate  of  the  family  of 
Mr.  Silas  E.  Weir ;  and  here  I  remained,  at  free  quarters, 
until  July,  when  the  family  left  the  city,  a  generous  contri- 
bution to  the  missionary  effort.  And  for  thirty-six  years 
his  house  was  my  home,  when  in  the  city.  Mr.  Weir  was 
a  Scotch-Irishman,  and  a  noble  specimen  of  the  high- 
minded  and  generous  Christian  gentleman.  Besides  this, 
I  received  from  the  Philadelphia  Missionary  Society  a 
small  stipend  of  fifty  dollars  per  month. 

"The  church  edifice  stood  in  Thirteenth  Street,  half  a 
square  north  of  Market,  and  was  a  small  but  substantial 
brick  structure.  It  was  built  in  pursuance  of  the  will  of  Mrs. 
Margaret  Duncan,  grandmother  of  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  John 
M.  Duncan,  of  Baltimore,  who  had  made  a  vow,  during 
the  perils  of  a  storm  at  sea,  that,  if  spared,  she  would 
build  a  house  unto  the  Lord.f 

*  Rem. 

f  The  Rev.  John  Chambers,  whose  ministry  was  also  begun  in  this  house, 
gives,  in  an  appendix  to  the  sermon  preached  upon  the  fortieth  anniversary 
of  his  pastorate,  the  following  account  of  this  matter: 

"  The  vessel  in  which  Mrs.  Duncan  came  a  passenger  from  Ireland,  her 
native  land,  was  overtaken  by  a  violent  storm,  which  lasted  for  several  days, 
until  the  captain  and  crew  gave  up  in  despair,  and  so  announced  to  the 
ship's  company.  Mrs.  Duncan,  being  pre-eminently  a  woman  of  God,  went, 
in  the  midst  of  the  howling  tempest  and  wild  wailings  of  the  passengers 
and  crew,  in  faith  to  the  God  of  the  winds  and  waves,  and  invoked  his 
gracious  interposition  and  protection.     At  the  same  time,  while  bowed  be- 


74  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

"  My  preaching  stations  were,  in  the  morning  of  each 
Lord's  day  in  the  Camden  Academy,  N.  J.,  in  Moyamen- 
sing  in  the  afternoon,  in  the  Thirteenth  Street  Church  at 
night,  and  in  a  schoolhouse  on  Front  above  Arch,  Wednes- 
day evenings. 

"There  were  but  four  or  five  small  houses  on  Thirteenth 
near  Market  Street,  four  two-story  bricks  in  Market,  and 
a  few  wooden  houses  between  Thirteenth  and  '  Centre 
Square,''  as  it  was  called,  although  it  was  inclosed  at  that 
period  in  one  large  circular  paled  fence,  with  gates  for 
foot-passengers  in  the  centre  of  Market  and  Broad  Streets. 
There  was  a  small  house  for  water-works  in  the  centre  of 
the  circle,  and  a  vault  for  oil-barrels  on  the  west  side  of  it. 
West  of  this  there  were  not  more  than  six  or  seven  houses, 
of  inferior  structure,  in  Market  Street.  All  the  space  west 
of  Broad  Street,  north  and  south,  was  unoccupied  waste, 
except  a  few  frame  buildings  near  Paul  Beck's  shot-tower, 
on  Arch  Street  about  three  blocks  from  the  Schuylkill, 
occupied  by  the  employees  about  the  tower.  There  was 
also  a  little  hamlet  of  small  houses  about  Sixteenth  and 
Walnut,  occupied  by  persons  employed  about  the  brick- 
yards in  that  locality. 

"  Such  was  my  missionary  field  in  Philadelphia.  Here 
I  labored  for  six  months.  But  the  enterprise  was  premature. 
There  was  but  a  sparse  population  and  kw  buildings,  and 
the  experiment  was  but  partially  successful.  Although  there 
was  a  nucleus  for  a  congregation  gathered  at  Thirteenth 
Street,  it  was  not  such  as  to  encourage  an  organization, 
previous  to  the  time  I  left  the  field."* 

Mr.  Junkin  was  ordained  as  an  Evangelist,  sine  titulo,  on 
the  29th  day  of  June  of  this  year  (1818),  by  the  Associate 
Reformed  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia.  The  Presbytery 
felt  authorized  to  take  this  step  in  consideration  of  the 


fore  the  God  of  the  Covenant,  Mrs.  Duncan  entered  into  covenant  with 
God,  that,  if  he  would  abate  the  storm  and  carry  the  ship's  company  safe 
to  land,  she  would  cause  to  be  erected  a  house  of  worship  to  his  honor  and 
glory.  God  heard  her  prayer,  the  ship  was  brought  safe  to  land,  with  hei 
crew  and  passengers,  and  Mrs.  Duncan  fulfilled  her  vow  by  the  erection  o< 
the  church  on  Thirteenth  above  Market  Street." 
*  Rem. 


ORDINA  TION. 


75 


facts  that  he  had  been  "a  probationer"  two  years;  had 
proved  very  acceptable  to  the  congregations ;  had  been 
proffered  several  calls  to  the  pastoral  office,  and  that  his 
missionary  work  required  it.  The  ordination  solemnity 
took  place  in  the  A.  R.  Church,  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  in  the 
very  place  where,  forty-five  years  afterwards,  he  was  found 
assiduously  laboring  among  the  wounded  and  the  dying, 
during  the  weeks  that  succeeded  the  terrible  battle  of  July 
3,  1863.  The  Rev.  John  Mason  Duncan,  of  Baltimore, 
preached  the  sermon,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ebenezer  Dickey 
gave  the  charge. 

Mr.  Junkin,  a  year  later,  became,  by  his  marriage,  the 
brother-in-law  of  Dr.  Dickey,  and  also  of  Dr.  McLean,  the 
pastor  of  the  church  in  which  he  was  ordained.  The  can- 
didate had  observed  the  day  preceding  his  ordination 
a-;  a  clay  of  prayer,  with  strict  fasting.  He  evidently  was 
impressed  with  a  very  high  and  solemn  estimate  of  the 
importance  and  sacredness  of  the  ministerial  office,  and 
entered  upon  the  full  work  of  that  office  with  fear  and 
diffidence,  and  yet  with  earnest  determination  to  be  faith- 
ful to  his  ordination  vows.  Speaking  in  his  Reminiscences 
of  the  occasion  of  his  ordination,  he  says:  "It  was  a 
solemn  scene.  Paul's  charge  to  Timothy  lay  heavy  on  my 
soul."  Of  the  binding  obligation  of  his  ordination  vows, 
in  all  their  details,  he  ever  retained  a  delicate  and  solemn 
conviction.  He  entered  the  ministry  as  a  life-work  ;  and 
looked  upon  ordination  vows,  not  as  transient  promises, 
to  be  kept  or  not  as  personal  convenience  or  popularity 
might  suggest,  but  as  engagements  made,  under  the  most 
solemn  sanctions  to  God  and  to  his  church,  to  be  literally 
and  faithfully  interpreted,  and  to  be  of  life-long  obligation. 
If  those  Christians  of  his  generation,  who  have  spoken 
censoriously  of  his  zeal  for  God's  precious  truth,  could 
have  looked  in  upon  the  chamber  of  the  young  licentiate 
during   that   day  of  fasting   and   prayer  at   Gettysburg; 


76  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

could  they  have  witnessed  his  earnest  wrestling  with  God 
for  grace  to  be  faithful  to  the  vows  he  was  about  to  as- 
sume ;  and  could  they  have  understood,  as  he  did,  the 
promise  "to  be  zealous  and  faithful  in  maintaining  the 
truths  of  the  gospel  and  the  peace  and  purity  of  the  church, 
whatever  persecution  or  opposition  may  arise  unto  you  on 
that  account;"  they  might  have  been  able  to  make  a  more 
just  estimate  of  his  life-long  and  unflinching  loyalty  to 
truth.  He  believed  that  ordination  vows  are  made  to  God  ; 
that  they  are  registered  in  heaven ;  that  they  bind  the 
conscience,  and  that  in  their  plain  and  obvious  sense ;  and 
that  to  violate  them  is  a  crime  partaking  of  the  nature  of 
both  sacrilege  and  perjury. 

After  his  ordination  he  returned  to  Philadelphia  and 
resumed  his  missionary  labor.  In  the  following  August 
he  was  absent  from  the  city,  supplying  Mr.  Duncan's 
church  in  Baltimore  for  two  Sabbaths,  and  Gettysburg, 
Bedford,  and  McConnellsburg,  one  Sabbath  each.  He  had 
been  importuned  by  Mr.  Duncan  and  his  people,  in  March 
and  April,  to  accept  of  a  more  protracted  engagement  in 
Baltimore,  on  account  of  the  illness  of  that  distinguished 
minister.  And  the  correspondence,  still  on  file,  is  illus- 
trative of  Mr.  Junkin's  scrupulous  adherence  to  the  minutitz 
of  what  he  deemed  right.  He  resisted  the  importunity  to 
leave,  even  for  a  time,  his  missionary  field  in  Philadelphia, 
although  to  have  yielded  promised  pecuniary  and  other 
advantages.  A  brief  extract  from  one  of  the  letters  will 
explain  this  matter,  and  show  that  the  young  licentiate  was 
as  firm  in  adhering  to  what  he  supposed  to  be  his  obliga- 
tions as  was  the  mature  man  of  later  life : 

"  I  hope  you  will  not  think  us  too  importunate  or 
pressing.  If  you  knew  the  state  of  our  city,  in  point  of 
evangelic  preaching ;  the  manner  in  which  our  people  are 
scattered  on  the  Sabbath,  when  I  am  laid  by,  without  a 
substitute  to  take  my  place,   and   contrast  our  situation 


HIGH  SENSE    OF  DUTY.  77 

with  that  of  those  to  whom  you  minister  as  a  missionary, 
I  know  I  should  find  no  difficulty  to  induce  you  to  recon- 
sider the  decision  you  have  formed.  It  is  true  '  an  engage- 
ment is  sacred,  and  ought  not  to  be  violated,  even  in 
appearance,  without  a  reason  paramount  to  the  obligation' 
or  sufficient  to  justify  a  departure  from  it.  But  can  you 
not  promise  a  future  compliance?  Can  you  not  get  some- 
body to  step  for  the  present  into  your  shoes?  or  can  you 
not  arrange  the  various  duties  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
divide  them  among  a  number  of.  ministers?  I  wish  you 
would  explore  every  avenue,  try  every  expedient,  and  admit 
every  allowance. ' ' 

But  the  young  licentiate  considered  his  "  engagement 
so  sacred"  with  his  missionary  field,  that  he  resisted  this 
importunity,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  two  Sabbaths 
above  mentioned,  declined  laboring  in  Baltimore. 

The  Miller  family  were  on  a  visit  to  Gettysburg  at  the 
time  he  preached  there  in  August,  and  on  his  return  journey 
to  Philadelphia  Mr.  Junkin  escorted  them  to  Oxford, 
Chester  County,  the  seat  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dickey.  Mean- 
while his  intimacy  with  that  family,  and  especially  with 
the  younger  daughter,  was  maturing ;  and  the  consumma- 
tion, which  he  so  earnestly  desired,  was  "engaged"  to  be 
made  before  he  left  Oxford.  "I  returned  to  Philadelphia 
with  feelings  of  gratitude  to  God  and  love  to  her,  which 
human  language  was  not  intended  to  express."*  He  re- 
sumed with  diligence  his  missionary  work  in  Philadelphia, 
and  prosecuted  it  for  some  time.  But  when  he  more  fully 
compared  views  in  regard  to  the  future,  with  the  lady  who 
was  the  chosen  companion  of  his  life,  he  found  her  judg- 
ment adverse  to  remaining  in  the  city:  she  alleging  that 
"  she  was  unsuited  to  be  the  wife  of  a  city  pastor!"  An  es- 
timate of  her  qualifications  which  perhaps  no  human  being, 
besides  herself,  who  knew  her,  would  make.      None  who 


Rem. 


78  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

knew  her  would  have  hesitated  to  pronounce  her  eminently 
fitted  to  such  a  position.  But  she  was  as  modest  of  her 
abilities  as  she  was  eminent  in  every  virtue  and  accom- 
plishment. Yet  such  was  her  judgment ;  and  partly  influ- 
enced by  this,  and  partly  by  the  discouragements  connected 
with  the  enterprise  in  which  he  was  engaged  in  Philadel- 
phia, he  began  to  look  elsewhere  for  a  permanent  field  of 
labor. 


CHAPTER    X. 

Visit  to  Milton — Penuel  Church — Resumes  Work  in  Philadelphia — Visits 
his  Western  Home — Call  to  Mercer — Frank  Response  to  People  of  Mil- 
ton— Marriage — Settlement  at  Milton. 

THERE  was  a  small  congregation  of  the  Associate 
Reformed  Church  in  the  vicinity  of  Milton,  North- 
umberland County,  Pennsylvania,  and  several  families  at- 
tached to  that  church,  living  in  and  near  that  large  and 
thriving  borough,  who  had  as  yet  no  church  organization. 
Having  been  invited  to  visit  the  place,  he  complied,  and 
preached  there  for  the  first  time  on  Sabbath,  October  4, 
1818. 

The  church  edifice  in  which  the  organized  congregation 
worshipped,  was  more  than  three  miles  from  the  town  of 
Milton,  and  stood  in  a  fine  old  pine  forest,  near  to  where 
the  village  of  McEwensville  now  stands, — about  the  eighth 
of  a  mile  south  of  it.  It  was  a  structure  of  hewn  logs, 
about  forty  feet  square,  and,  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Junkin's 
advent,  it  was  only  roofed  and  floored,  with  windows  and 
doors,  but  no  gallery  or  pews.  Subsequently  it  was  fur- 
nished with  pulpit,  pews,  and  a  gallery  around  three  sides 
of  the  building,  which  last  was  reached  by  a  flight  of  stairs 
constructed  outside  the  walls  of  the  building.  These  im- 
provements were  made  shortly  after  his  settlement,  and  as 
the  result  of  his  activity.  Further  on  in  his  ministry  it 
was  finished  outside  with  white  stucco  and  pebbles,  and 
neatly  plastered  within.  This  building  was  a  place  of 
worship  for  some  years  after  Dr.  Junkin  left  the  field,  but 
was  ultimately  abandoned,  removed,  the  beautiful  grove 

(79) 


80  LIFE    OF  DR.  GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

cut  down,  and  now  the  plowshare  is  driven  over  its  site. 
Though  so  far  from  the  village  of  Milton,  the  families  that 
lived  in  the  village  adhering  to  the  A.  R.  Church,  wor- 
shipped in  this  edifice,  and  hence  the  congregation  was 
known  as  the  congregation  of  Milton.  But  after  Mr. 
Junkin  was  settled  among  them,  he  officiated  part  of  the 
time  in  Milton,  and,  after  an  edifice  was  erected  in  the 
borough,  the  church  near  McEwensville  was  called,  proba- 
bly at  Mr.  J.'s  suggestion,  Peniel,  or  more  usually  Penuel 
(see  Gen.  xxxii.  30-31),  and  the  village  church  was  called 
Shiloh. 

On  the  4th  day  of  October,  18 18,  being  Sabbath,  he 
preached  twice  in  the  Peniel  church,  in  the  morning  from 
Acts  xvi.  31,  and  in  the  afternoon  from  John  iii.  36.  On 
the  Tuesday  evening  following,  he  preached  his  first  sermon 
in  the  borough  of  Milton,  from  Isai.  xxxiii.  14,  last  clause 
of  the  verse.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  7th,  he  preached 
in  White  Deer  Valley,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Susquehanna, 
to  a  congregation  that  subsequently  became  a  very  inter- 
esting portion  of  his  pastoral  charge.  On  the  9th,  he 
preached  at  Milton  (Peniel),  preparatory  to  the  Lord's 
Supper;  and  on  the  nth,  in  the  same  place,  when  he  ad- 
ministered the  Lord's  Supper,  preaching  the  same  evening 
in  the  village.  He  then  returned  to  Philadelphia,  and  con- 
tinued his  missionary  work.  From  his  preaching  register, 
we  ascertain  that  his  stations  for  holding  worship  and 
preaching  the  Word,  were  numerous  and  widely  extended. 
The  church  in  Thirteenth  Street  was  his  centre  of  opera- 
tions. But,  besides  this,  he  had  stations  in  Camden, 
Schuylkill  Front,  Moyamensing,  and  the  Philadelphia 
Almshouse,  and  occasionally  at  the  corner  of  Eleventh  and 
Filbert  Streets.  These  labors  he  continued  until  the  2 2d 
of  November,  when  he  left  the  city  and  made  a  visit  to  his 
friends  in  Western  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  journeying  via 
Baltimore,  where  he  preached  on  the  27th  of  November, 


CALL    TO   MERCER.  8 1 

Chambersburg,  and  McConnellsburg,  at  each  of  which 
places  he  officiated  on  his  way  westward. 

Previous  to  his  departure  from  Philadelphia  on  this 
journey,  he  had  been  informed  that  a  call  would  be  made 
by  the  people  of  Peniel  and  Milton  for  his  pastoral  ser- 
vices ;  and,  having  decided  to  accept  of  this  call,  he  deter- 
mined, before  entering  upon  his  pastoral  duties,  to  make  a 
general  visit  to  his  kindred. 

It  was  during  this  year  that  a  call  to  the  Associate  Re- 
formed Churches  of  Mercer  and  Shenango,  in  Mercer 
County,  Pa.,  was  urgently  pressed  upon  him.  Early  in 
the  spring  of  1818  this  movement  was  made,  as  we  gather 
from  his  correspondence;  but  in  a  letter  dated  July  19th 
of  that  year,  and  addressed  to  his  brother-in-law,  the  Hon. 
John  Findley,  of  Mercer,  he  assigns  reasons  why  he  de- 
clined acceding  to  the  wishes  of  those  congregations.  In- 
deed, before  the  death  of  the  first  pastor  of  that  charge,  his 
brother-in-law,  the  Rev.  James  Galloway,  but  after  that 
death  became  inevitable,  Mr.  Findley,  who  was  a  ruling 
elder,  had  written  to  him  upon  the  subject,  and  was  very 
importunate.  Mr.  Junkin's  answers  to  these  various  letters 
are  lost,  but  from  the  replies  to  them  we  learn,  that  the 
proverb  that  a  "prophet  is  not  without  honor  save  in 
his  own  country  and  among  his  own  kindred,"  was  a  domi- 
nant consideration  with  him  in  declining  to  enter  that 
field.  Another  consideration  was,  that  the  Presbytery  of 
Monongahela,  by  which  he  was  licensed,  and  under  the 
care  of  which  the  Mercer  charge  was,  held  views  on  the 
subject  of  catholic  communion  which  Mr.  Junkin  could 
not  adopt.  They  held  to  close  communion,  he  repudiated 
that  restriction. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  earnestness  with  which  his  labors 
were  sought  by  the  people  of  Mercer,  and  as  a  rather  curious 
specimen  of  logic  and  Scripture  interpretation,  a  few  ex- 
tracts from  one  of  the  letters  (from  Mr.  Findley)  are  given : 


82  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

"I  shall  now  endeavor  to  convince  you  that  your  ob- 
jections are  not  sufficient ;  nay,  that  your  basing  your 
determination  upon  that  text,  '  a  prophet  is  not  without 
honor,'  etc.,  is  setting  it  in  direct  opposition  to  the  con- 
duct of  our  Saviour  himself  and  that  of  his  Apostles.  He 
and  they  did  preach  the  gospel  among  their  own  kindred. 
He  continued  to  labor  and  preach  the  gospel  in  his  own 
city  until  the  inhabitants  rejected  him,  cast  him  out.  and 
sought  to  destroy  him ;  and  it  was  in  reference  to  this  he 
quoted  this  proverb.  He  spent  his  whole  ministerial  labors 
among  his  kindred  according  to  the  flesh;  and  so  did  they, 
until  he  sent  them,  by  providential  indications,  to  present  it 

to  the  Gentiles  also Many  of  our  ministers  are 

settled  in  the  congregation  in  which  they  were  raised, — Dr. 
Mason,  Mr.  Lind,  Mr.  Henderson,  and  others ;  and  who 
are  more  respected  by  their  flocks,  and  who  are  more  use- 
ful in  their  generation  ?  .  .  .  .  We  have  had  preaching 
only  once  since  Mr.  G.'s  death.  Mr.  F.  administered  the 
Lord's  Supper.  If  we  remain  in  this  state,  what  ruin  and 
desolation  must  result !  My  four  sons  are  growing  up  with- 
out the  benefit  of  the  preached  gospel, — your  brothers, 
your  brother's  children,  and  many  others,  are  in  like  con- 
dition ;  and  if  you  were  here,  many  of  these  young  plants 
might  be  brought  into  the  vineyard,  and  some  raised  up 
under  your  ministry  t0  preach  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation 

to  others Pardon  me  if  I  am  moved  to  tears  in 

view  of  our  situation." 

This  letter  was  dated  September  20,  18 18. 

After  he  had  determined  to  leave  Philadelphia,  and  after 
the  people  of  Milton  had  expressed  a  desire  to  obtain  his 
services,  he  wrote  to  an  elder  of  that  church  a  frank  and 
explicit  statement  of  the  conditions  upon  which  he  would 
be  willing  to  accede  to-  their  wishes.  After  stating  that, 
so  far  as  providential  indications  showed,  he  felt  it  his 
duty  to  enter  that  field,  this  letter  proceeds  : 

"And  that  there  be  no  misunderstanding,  let  me  tell 
you  that  I  must  live  by  the  gospel.  I  intend  to  spend  all 
my  time  and  talents  in  your  service,  and  to  obey  the 
divine  command,  'Give  thyself  wholly  unto  these  things;' 


CALL    TO   MILTON. 


83 


and,  therefore,  I  expect  you  (I  mean  the  people  whose  call 
I  shall  accept)  to  hear  and  obey  the  command,  '  muzzle 
not  the  ox  that  treadeth  out  the  corn;'  'the  laborer  is 
worthy  of  his  hire.'  ....  It  is  to  be  understood  that  I 
am  to  preach  half  the  time  in  the  village  and  half  the  time 
in  the  church  (the  Pines);  I  cannot  think  of  being  officially 
connected  with  more  than  two  places,  though  I  have  not 
such  strong  objections  to  a  preaching  excursion  occasion- 
ally into  the  neighboring  country You  have  my 

mind, — you  have  it  plainly.  Do  as  your  sense  of  duty 
shall  dictate.  But  this  remember,  that,  although  you  have 
not  a  certainty,  yet  it  comes  as  near  to  a  certainty  as  human 
affairs  will  permit,  of  obtaining  a  man  to  break  the  bread 
of  life  to  your  hungry  souls,  if  you  meet  his  wishes  by  min- 
istering to  him  in  carnal  things  ;  and,  oh !  as  you  value  your 
souls,  and  the  souls  of  your  children,  remember,  if  God  has 
given  you  the  opportunity  and  the  means,  and  you  neglect 
both,  you  shall  answer  for  it  at  the  great  day  of  the  Re- 
deemer's appearing.  Accordingly,  I  expect  you  to  pro- 
ceed immediately  to  business ;  and  if  you  find  yourselves 
strong  enough, — that  is,  willing  enough,  to  feed  and  clothe 
this  body  (and  God  knows  I  want  nothing  more  than  a 
support),  appear  at  Presbytery  by  a  commissioner,  and 
petition  for  the  moderation  of  a  call.  But  in  the  mean 
time  let  me  know  your  purposes.  I  am  in  trim  for  action, 
and  must  act  promptly.  Importunate  and  reiterated  cries 
from  the  congregation  where  my  aged  father  and  all  my 
kindred  are,  wring  tears  from  these  eyes  and  blood  from 
this  heart ;  but  a  '  prophet  hath  no  honor  in  his  own 
country.'  I  cannot  and  will  not  go,  if  a  door  is  opened 
with  you."     .... 

In  pursuance  of  the  suggestions  made  in  this  letter,  a 
call  was  made  out  by  the  people  of  Milton.  The  Pres- 
bytery of  Philadelphia  (A.  R.)  appointed  the  Rev.  C.  G. 
McLean  to  moderate  it,  and  it  was  done  on  the  15th  of 
March,  1819.  In  the  extracts  made  from  this  letter  we  see 
indices  of  that  frankness,  explicitness/and  honesty  which 
were  always  characteristic  of  the  man,  whilst  Ave  have 
proof  that  the  little  flock,  that  lay  scattered  in  and  around 


84  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

Milton,  was  in  an  inchoate  condition,  needing  direc- 
tion in  the  forms  of  procedure,  and  needing  a  forming 
hand  to  shape  them  into  an  energetic  church  organi- 
zation. 

After  writing  the  foregoing  letter,  dated  November  2d, 
1818,  Mr.  Junkin  made  the  journey  to  the  West,  alluded 
to  above.  In  the  progress  of  the  journey,  he  preached 
the  gospel  in  many  places,  and  with  much  frequency. 
Besides  the  places  already  named,  he  preached  seven  times 
in  Mercer  County,  once  in  Steubenville,  Ohio,  four  times 
in  Pittsburg,  and  three  times  on  his  return  journey.  Where- 
ever  he  was  expected  to  preach,  whether  on  the  Sabbath  or 
other  days  of  the  week,  crowds  came  to  hear  him.  The 
writer  of  this  was  a  small  boy  at  the  time,  but  he  retains  a 
distinct  recollection  of  the  wide-spread  and  deep  impres- 
sion made  by  his  sermons  during  this  visit,  and  he  has 
heard  the  old  people  speaking  of  it  many  years  after- 
wards. 

He  spent  most  part  of  the  month  of  December  in  Mer- 
cer County,  Pennsylvania,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1819  went  to  Steubenville  to  visit  his  sister  Mary,  the 
wife  of  the  Rev.  George  Buchanan.  In  this  visit  he  was 
accompanied  by  his  venerable  father,  who  came  with  him 
to  Pittsburg,  where  he  preached  in  his  friend  McElroy's 
pulpit  on  the  8th,  9th,  10th,  and  nth  of  January.  From 
Pittsburg  he  went  to  Franklin  County,  thence  back  to  Mc- 
Connellsburg,  and  thence  across  the  country.  In  the  pro- 
gress of  this  journey  he  mentions  having  lodged  at  the 

house  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  ,  "  one  of  our  ministers  who 

followed  stilling  whiskey."  He  preached  three  Sabbaths, 
the  last  of  January  and  the  first  two  of  February,  1819,  at 
the  Milton  charge,  one  sermon  in  the  Presbyterian  congre- 
gation of  Warrior  Run,  and  then  returned  to  Philadelphia. 
He  does  not  appear  to  have  entered  upon  labor  in  his 
former  missionary  field,  having,  as  is  supposed,  terminated 


MARRIAGE.  85 

his  connection  with  it  the  preceding  November,  although 
he  preached  often  in  Camden. 

In  March,  1819,  we  find  him  again  on  the  Susquehanna, 
preaching  in  the  Milton  charge,  and  various  other  places 
in  the  region.  But  he  returned  to  Philadelphia  early  in 
May. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  1819,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Julia 
Rush  Miller,  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  Miller,  of  Phil- 
adelphia. The  marriage  was  solemnized  by  his  venerated 
Professor,  Dr.  Mason. 

Mr.  Miller  and  his  wife  were  natives  of  Scotland, — she 
Margaret  Irvin, — and  both  descended  from  families  of 
highly  respectable  social  position.  Mr.  Miller  had  died 
previous  to  the  marriage  of  his  daughter.  He  had  been  a 
ruling  elder  in  the  Scots'  Presbyterian  Church,  and  a  man 
of  wealth,  enterprise,  and  enlarged  benevolence  and  public 
spirit.  On  terms  of  close  intimacy  with  the  celebrated 
Dr.  Rush,  he  co-operated  with  that  eminent  philanthro- 
pist in  many  of  the  public  charities  of  the  city,  and  was 
distinguished  for  his  courageous  and  self-denying  labors 
with  the  sick  and  distressed  during  the  visits  of  that  terrible 
scourge — the  yellow  fever.  Remaining  in  the  city  whilst 
others  fled,  he  contributed  by  his  means  and  his  personal  at- 
tentions to  alleviate  the  distress  and  horrors  of  those  awful 
calamities.  He  was  prominent  in  the  establishment  of 
the  almshouse,  the  hospital,  and  other  charitable  insti- 
tutions of  the  city,  and  was  recognized  as  one  of  its 
benefactors. 

The  next  day  after  their  marriage,  they  set  out  upon  a 
visit  to  her  relatives  in  Oxford  and  Gettysburg.  From 
Gettysburg  he  went  to  Washington  City,  where  he  preached 
on  the  26th  of  June.  Returning  to  Gettysburg,  they  pro- 
ceeded thence  to  Milton,  where  he  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  his  pastorate. 

Their  "  own  hired  house"  was  not  thoroughly  completed 
8 


86  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

when  they  entered  it;  and  for  Mrs.  Junkin,  accustomed,  as 
she  had  been,  to  the  spacious  apartments  and  the  various 
appliances  of  human  comfort,  for  which  Philadelphia  has 
always  been  remarkable,  the  change  must  have  been  great; 
but  she  conformed  to  it  with  that  lovely  Christian  cheerful- 
ness which  formed  an  ornament  of  her  character. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

Pastorate  at  Milton — State  of  the  Churches — Pastors  Hood,  Bryson,  Patter- 
son, Smith,  and  Grier — Installation — Sabbath-School,  Tract,  Bible,  and 
Temperance  Labors — Barriers — General  Montgomery — Union  of  A.  R. 
Church  with  General  Assembly — Joins  the  Presbytery  of  Northumber- 
land— Shiloh. 

IN  order  to  appreciate  the  results  of  Mr.  Junkin's  labors 
and  influence  during  the  eleven  years  of  his  pastorate 
at  Milton,  it  is  necessary  to  have  an  adequate  knowledge 
of  the  state  of  religion  and  of  the  churches  at  the  time  of 
his  advent  to  the  Susquehanna  region.  Whilst  there  were 
some  faithful  and  earnest  men  in  the  Presbyterian  churches 
of  that  region,  there  was  a  deplorable  amount  of  formalism 
pervading  the  masses.  Mr.  Junkin's  charge  was  the  only 
one  within  seventy  miles  of  Milton  that  was  connected 
with  the  Associate  Reformed  Church.  And  although  there 
were  isolated  families  and  some  small  clusters  of  people, 
scattered  through  the  surrounding  counties  that  preferred 
that  organization,  they  were  not  of  sufficient  numbers  to 
be  organized  into  churches,  and  they  usually  worshipped 
with  the  Presbyterian  congregations.  This  state  of  things 
called  for  frequent  excursions  to  preach  in  the  regions  be- 
yond his  immediate  pastoral  charge.  That  charge  covered 
the  same  territory  with  the  Presbyterian  congregations  of 
Milton  and  Warrior  Run ;  the  former  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hood,  the  latter  under  that  of 
the  venerable  Rev.  John  Bryson,  even  then  almost  an 
octogenarian.  The  lovely  and  beloved  Rev.  John  B.  Pat- 
terson was  pastor  of  the  united  churches  of  Derry  and 
Mahoning  (Danville),  the  Rev.  William  R.  Smith  over 
those  of  Sunbury  and  Northumberland,  and  the  venerable 

(87) 


88  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

Rev.  John  Grier,  of  Pine  Creek.  Mr.  Junkin  found  his 
own  particular  charge  in  a  cold  and  formal  state.  Orthodox, 
and  affected  with  a  hereditary  zeal  for  the  peculiarities  of 
their  denomination,  especially  for  "the  Psalms  of  David 
in  metre,"  there  existed  between  them  and  the  other 
branch  of  the  Presbyterian  family  a  mutual  prejudice  that 
restrained  them  from  co-operation.  Family  worship  was 
kept  up  in  some  families,  but  in  many  it  was  neglected. 
Discipline  had  rarely  been  exercised,  and  the  standard  of 
Christian  morality  was  low,  and  that  of  piety  and  active 
efforts  for  souls  still  lower.  And  this  description  was 
equally  true  of  most  of  the  congregations  in  that  region 
in  connection  with  the  General  Assembly.  Indeed,  disci- 
pline in  nearly  all  the  churches  was  sadly  relaxed,  and 
the  lines  between  the  church  and  the  world  but  dimly 
drawn.  Whiskey  drinking  was  almost  universal.  A  funeral 
even  could  not  be  conducted  without  the  circulation  of  the 
bottle  and  the  tumbler.  Elders  of  the  church  deemed  it 
not  inconsistent  with  their  Christian  profession  or  their 
official  position,  to  engage  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
whiskey.  The  sacraments  of  the  church  were  approached 
by  many  whose  profession  of  piety  was  not  attested  by  the 
commonest  indices  of  conversion.  The  masses  were  at 
ease  in  Zion.  The  sacrament  of  baptism  was  claimed  for 
children,  neither  of  whose  parents  was  a  communicant  in 
the  church,  and  a  morbid  public  sentiment  sanctioned  the 
claim,  and  compelled  the  ministers,  either  to  baptize  pro- 
miscuously, or  to  encounter  opposition  of  a  serious  char- 
acter. At  the  time  of  his  entrance  upon  this  field,  there 
was  no  church  organization  in  Milton  Borough,  and  no 
house  of  worship  belonging  to  the  people  whom  he  served. 
When  he  officiated  in  the  village,  he  preached  in  a  large 
schoolhouse  in  the  winter  season,  and  in  the  summer  in  a 
hewn  log-house,  that  had  been  built  north  of  the  town  for 
an  Episcopal  church.     It  had  been  floored  and  fitted  up 


INSTALLA  TION.  89 

with  deep,  old-fashioned  pews,  but  had  never  been  ceiled, 
and,  at  the  time  he  occupied  it,  the  roof  was  decayed,  so 
that,  except  in  pleasant  weather,  it  was  not  a  secure  shelter. 
His  chief  station,  and  where  most  of  the  church  members 
lived,  was  at  "The  Pines,"  the  place  already  described  as 
Peniel,  in  Turbot  Township,  three  miles  north  of  the 
Borough. 

Such  was  his  first  permanent  field  of  labor.  His  taking 
a  station  in  the  Borough  of  Milton  excited  at  first  some 
little  jealousy  and  opposition  from  a  part  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian congregation,  who  enjoyed  the  ministrations  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Hood  every  alternate  Sabbath.  But  this  feeling 
soon  abated  after  the  people  became  better  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Junkin,  and  learned  to  appreciate  his  catholic  spirit, 
and  the  earnestness  and  ability  of  his  labors  in  the  cause  of 
Christ.  And  as  the  Presbyterian  congregation  had  but 
half  of  their  pastor's  time,  and  he  lived  several  miles  in 
the  country,  with  the  river,  then  unbridged,  between  his 
residence  and  the  village,  much  of  the  pastoral  work,  such 
as  visiting  the  sick,  soon  fell  to  Mr.  J.,  and  many  of  the 
people  attended  upon  his  preaching,  which  never  inter- 
fered, in  point  of  time,  with  that  of  Mr.  Hood.  And, 
indeed,  there  soon  arose  a  delightful  state  of  fellowship 
between  the  members  of  the  two  congregations,  and  no 
collision  or  misunderstanding  ever  occurred  between  the 
pastors. 

On  the  17th  of  October,  1819,  he  was  installed  pastor 
by  the  A.  R.  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia ;  Dr.  C.  G.  Mc- 
Lean, Dr.  McCartee,  Dr.  Duncan,  and  the  Rev.  Messrs. 
Lind  and  Gibson  being  present  and  taking  part  in  the 
solemnities  of  the  occasion.  But  before  his  formal  instal- 
lation, he  had  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  pastorate  with 
that  zeal  and  energy  which  was  never  relaxed  until  the 
hand  of  death  was  laid  upon  him,  nearly  half  a  century 
afterwards. 

8* 


go  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

Having  taken  part,  when  a  student,  in  the  organization 
of  the  first  Sabbath-schools  established  in  New  York,  he 
was  not  long  in  inaugurating  them  in  his  new  field  of  labor. 
And  such  was  his  thorough  comprehension  of  the  principles 
and  methods  upon  which  these  schools  should  be  conducted, 
and  such  was  his  skill  in  introducing  system,  and  adapting 
means  to  the  end,  that  the  schools  in  his  charge  were  models, 
and,  indeed,  such  good  models,  that  fifty  years'  experience 
has  made  little  advance  upon  the  system  inaugurated  by 
him  at  Milton. 

He  also  introduced  the  Bible-class,  then  a  new  mode  of 
pastoral  usefulness,  and  in  it  he  shortly  trained  a  corps  of 
very  efficient  Sabbath-school  teachers.  He  was  methodical 
in  all  his  labors.  He  early  announced  to  his  people,  that 
he  desired  his  mornings  to  be  uninterrupted,  that  they 
might  be  devoted  to  study.  He  requested  to  be  exempt 
from  calls  until  after  twelve  o'clock ;  after  that  hour  he  was 
accessible.  But  in  case  of  sickness  he  was  ready  to  re- 
spond to  calls  at  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night. 

"I  had  not  much  aid  from  the  eldership  of  the  church. 
I  never  heard  but  one  of  them  offer  prayer  in  family  or 
in  public.  Piety  was  a  dull  flame  with  all  except  that 
one  (Mr.  Russell),  and  he  resided  beyond  the  Susque- 
hanna. Indeed,  this  was  the  case  at  first  with  nearly  all 
the  church  members  except  a  few  women.  And  there 
was  very  little  active  piety,  either  in  town  or  country. 
There  was  no  prayer-meeting  in  any  congregation  in 
the  vicinity  except  in  Milton.  There  we  began  a  little 
meeting  in  private  houses,  at  which  a  few  males  and  a 
score  of  females  attended.  William  Housel,  a  watch- 
maker, and  a  member  of  Mr.  Hood's  charge,  was  the 
chief  auxiliary.  In  White  Deer  Valley  the  prospect  was 
more  cheering.  That  was  the  most  fruitful  part  of  my 
field,  for,  although  I  was  never  pastor  of  the  congregation 
in  that  valley,  I  labored  a  portion  of  the  time  in  it,  and 
with  much  comfort  and  success."* 


Rem. 


TRACT,  BIBLE,  AND    TEMPERANCE  LABORS.        gi 

Mr.  Junkin  never  received  an  adequate  support  from  the 
people  to  whom  he  ministered.  They  had  promised  him  in 
his  call  a  competency,  but  he  rarely  realized  more  than 
half  of  what  was  promised.  The  people  seemed  to  take  it 
for  granted  that,  having  means  independent  of  them,  they 
need  not  make  exertion  to  maintain  their  pastor. 

The  fact,  that  he  and  his  charge  were  so  isolated  and  far 
removed  from  other  churches  and  pastors  of  his  denomina- 
tion, very  greatly  restricted  his  usefulness;  and  the  other 
fact,  that  the  Associate  Reformed  Church  confined  their 
people  to  the  use  of  the  "  Psalms  of  David  in  metre,"  as 
versified  by  Sir  Francis  Rouse,  was  another  hindrance. 
When  he  consented,  in  the  fourth  year  of  his  ministry,  to 
supply  the  congregation  of  White  Deer,  he  was  constrained 
to  stipulate  that  they  should  use  these  Psalms  exclusively. 
They  had  been  accustomed  to  use  the  collection  of  Psalms 
and  Hymns  generally  used  in  the  Presbyterian  churches, 
but,  for  the  sake  of  obtaining  his  services,  they  con- 
sented to  the  change.  But  notwithstanding  these  hin- 
drances, his  usefulness  steadily  increased,  and  the  range  of 
his  influence  was  extended.  His  services  were  sought  and 
were  rendered  in  many  places  beside  those  in  which  he 
statedly  ministered.  In  Lewisburg,  Hartleton,  New  Berlin, 
and  Mifflinburg,  in  Union  County,  and  in  Muncy,  in 
Lycoming  County,  he  often  preached,  laying  foundations 
upon  which,  in  some  cases,  thriving  churches  were  after- 
wards built.  In  the  last-named  place  he  for  a  long  time 
maintained  a  Wednesday  lecture,  or  preaching  service. 

Mr.  Junkin  early  threw  himself,  his  energies  and  means, 
into  those  co-operative  efforts  in  which  evangelical  Chris- 
tians have  united, — the  Bible,  the  Tract,  the  Sabbath- 
school,  and  the  Temperance  enterprises.  In  all  these  he 
soon  became  the  recognized  leader  in  the  region  that  lies 
around  the  Forks  of  the  Susquehanna.  At  the  time  of  Mr. 
Junkin's  advent  to   Milton,   that  eminent   Christian  and 


92  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

philanthropist,  General  Daniel  Montgomery,  of  Danville, 
was  living,  and  in  the  height  of  his  usefulness.  He  was 
soon  attracted  to  the  young  "seceder,"  as  the  denomina- 
tion of  Mr.  Junkin  was  sometimes  called;  and  recognizing 
and  appreciating  his  talents,  learning,  energy,  and  zeal,  he 
was  forward  in  giving  to  him  that  position  in  the  religious 
enterprises  of  the  region  for  which  those  qualifications 
adapted  him.  A  friendship  soon  sprung  up  between  these 
eminent  men,  which  grew  with  years,  and  only  terminated 
with  the  General's  life.  It  was  on  General  Montgomery's 
motion,  that  Mr.  Junkin's  first  address  before  the  Susque- 
hanna Bible  Society  was  published  ;  and  this  address  did 
much  to  stimulate  and  encourage  the  friends  of  the  Bible 
cause,  whilst  it  drew  attention  to  its  author  as  a  man  of 
ability  and  Christian  enterprise.* 

The  Susquehanna  Bible  Society,  auxiliary  to  the  Penn- 
sylvania Bible  Society,  was,  during  Mr.  Junkin's  residence 
in  Milton,  the  most  efficient  society  in  the  Commonwealth, 
out  of  Philadelphia.  It  pledged  and  it  effected  the  thorough 
supply  of  four  large  counties  with  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
and  sent  a  handsome  surplus  to  the  parent  society.  It 
was  established  upon  the  federative  principle, — a  general 
society,  with  auxiliaries,  called  Bible  Associations,  in  town- 
ships and  smaller  districts.  So  energetic  was  Mr.  J.  in 
inaugurating  this  plan,  that  he  personally  organized  no  less 
than  thirty-two  of  these  associations  in  a  few  months. 
The  S.  B.  S.  held  anniversary  meetings  in  the  larger  towns, 
— Milton,  Danville,  Northumberland,  Sunbury,  and  Wil- 


*  A  lady,  who  was  present  at  the  delivery  of  this  address,  has  informed 
the  writer  that,  during  its  delivery,  the  venerable  Rev.  J.  B.  Patterson,  who 
was  in  the  pulpit  with  Mr.  Junkin,  was  so  affected  that  he  rose  to  his  feet, 
apparently  unconscious  of  what  he  was  doing,  and  took  a  position  where 
he  could  see  the  speaker's  face,  and  leaned  towards  him  in  an  attitude  of 
intense  attention  and  delight ;  and  that  the  whole  assembly  spontaneously 
leaned  forward  as  if  spell-bound  by  the  speaker's  power. 


A.  R.  CHURCH  AND   GENERAL  ASSEMBL  Y  UNITE. 


93 


liamsport,  to  which  the  associations  sent  deputations ;  and 
these  anniversaries  were  occasions  of  great  religious  and 
social  interest,  and  contributed  very  efficiently  to  spread 
valuable  thought  and  intelligence,  and  to  rouse  and  sustain 
a  Christian  zeal  and  enterprise,  that  had  never  previously 
existed  in  that  region.  He  not  only  infused  his  own  spirit 
and  zeal  into  others,  and  brought  them  up  to  work  for  the 
cause,  but  he  was  himself  a  hard  worker.  He  travelled  and 
toiled  much,  and  at  his  own  charges,  in  advancing  the 
cause.  He  was  not  one  of  those  whose  zeal  and  industry 
in  Christ's  cause  were  all  expended  in  an  oration  upon  the 
boards  of  an  anniversary ;  he  labored  personally,  and  con- 
tributed liberally,  to  urge  forward  every  enterprise  that 
seemed  to  him  scriptural  and  right. 

At  the  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly  and  of  the  Gen- 
eral Synod  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Church,  held  in 
Philadelphia  in  May,  1822,  a  union  was  consummated  be- 
tween the  two  bodies.  The  proposal  for  this  union  was 
made  by  the  General  Assembly  a  year  previous.  These 
were  favorably  received  by  the  Synod  then  in  session  in  the 
same  city.  Committees  of  conference  were  appointed.  A 
basis  of  union  was  agreed  upon  ;  and  at  the  time  mentioned, 
both  bodies  adopted  the  basis,  and  the  Synod  met  with  the 
Assembly,  and  enjoyed  a  delightful  season  of  fraternal  fel- 
lowship. By  the  terms  of  the  basis  of  union,  it  was  left 
optional  with  the  Presbyteries  of  the  Associate  Reformed 
Church,  either  to  retain  their  organization  and  attach 
themselves  to  the  most  convenient  Synod  under  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  or  to  dissolve  and  their  several  members 
and  churches  unite  with  the  Presbyteries  within  whose 
bounds  they  might  be  located.  "  In  the  former  case,  they 
shall  have  as  full  powers  and  privileges  as  any  other  Pres- 
byteries in  the  united  body."  Some  of  the  Presbyteries 
retained  their  organization,  as  the  Second  Presbytery  of 
New  York.     Others  pursued  the  latter  alternative,  and  be- 


94  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

came  amalgamated  with  the  Presbyteries  most  convenient 
to  the  ministers  and  churches  severally.  The  Presbytery  to 
which  Mr.  Junkin  belonged,  the  A.  R.  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia, appears  to  have  retained  a  separate  existence  for  a 
short  time;  but  in  the  years  1824-5,  they  perfected  their 
arrangements  for  a  dissolution,  and  united  with  the  Pres- 
byteries most  convenient.  This  Presbytery  extended  over 
a  large  territory,  including  in  its  limits  Philadelphia,  Bal- 
timore, Washington,  D.C.,  Carlisle,  Hagerstown,  and 
McConnellsburg.  Some  of  the  ministers  and  churches  fell 
into  the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  others 
into  that  of  Baltimore,  others  to  Carlisle,  others  to  New 
Castle,  and  Mr.  Junkin  and  his  congregations  into  the 
Presbytery  of  Northumberland.  This  change  of  Church 
and  Presbyterial  connection  greatly  enlarged  his  sphere 
of  influence  and  of  usefulness.  He  was  located  near  the 
geographical  centre  of  the  Presbytery,  in  its  then  largest 
town,  and  among  its  most  enterprising  people. 

He  was  received  by  the  Presbytery  of  Northumberland 
with  a  large  and  cordial  welcome.  He  was  already  known 
to  them  as  an  able  and  earnest  worker.  In  the  intercourse 
incident  to  the  meeting  of  the  Bible  Society  and  other  co- 
operative efforts,  they  had  learned  his  worth  as  a  warm- 
hearted and  energetic  champion  of  every  good  cause  ;  and 
they  soon,  as  by  common  consent,  seemed  to  recognize 
him  as  their  leader  in  every  good  work.  On  his  part,  he 
at  once  identified  himself  with  the  interests  of  the  whole 
Presbytery  and  of  the  whole  denomination  with  which  his 
lot  was  now  cast ;  and  he  entered  into  their  work  as  if  he 
never  had  been  an  alien,  and  with  all  the  ardor  of  his 
earnest  nature. 

About  a  year  after  his  arrival  at  Milton,  he  purchased 
half  an  acre  of  ground  in  a  pleasant  and  convenient  loca- 
tion, and,  with  the  aid  of  the  citizens,  built  a  small  and 
comfortable  place  of  worship.     This  he  named  Shiloh,  and 


SH1L0H. 


95 


here  he  officiated  almost  every  Sabbath,  preaching  in  the 
evenings  of  those  Sabbaths  on  the  mornings  of  which  he  had 
labored  in  the  country  portions  of  his  charge.  Mr.  Hood 
rarely  preached  more  than  in  the  daylight  of  the  Sabbath, 
so  that  the  evening  service  in  Shiloh,  and  the  alternate 
Sabbath-morning  service,  did  not  interfere  with  the  minis- 
trations in  the  other  Presbyterian  church.  At  that  time  the 
Presbyterian  congregation  occupied  a  building  of  rather 
imposing  appearance,  which  they  had  built  in  connection 
with  two  German  congregations,  the  Lutheran  and  the 
German  Reformed.  Of  course  they  were  entitled  to  use  it 
but  one-half  of  the  time,  which  excluded  them  every  alter- 
nate Sabbath. 

In  "Shiloh"  Mr.  Junkin  gathered  a  considerable  congre- 
gation, and  there  he  preached  for  eleven  years  those  pre- 
cious doctrines  of  grace,  of  which,  in  later  life,  he  became 
th,e  defender,  both  through  the  press  and  in  the  church 
courts.  Besides  a  sermon  each  day,  he  usually  had  a  series 
of  expository  lectures  in  progress,  in  which  he  expounded 
book  after  book  of  the  Scriptures.  These  were  attended 
upon  by  large  numbers  of  interested  and  intelligent  people; 
and  it  might  be  truly  said  of  him,  more  than  of  most  min- 
isters, in  the  language  of  McCheyne,  that  he  "made  the 
people  understand  the  Bible."  In  these  expository  dis- 
courses he  began  to  array  material,  which,  later  in  life,  and 
with  more  mature  study,  he  embodied  in  works  which  he 
prepared  for  the  press.  In  Shiloh  his  lectures  upon  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  were  first  delivered,  as  also  his  appli- 
cation of  the  lessons  of  the  Mosaic  ritual  to  the  elucidation 
of  New-Testament  truth,  and  some  of  his  lectures  on  the 
prophecies. 

After  his  union  with  the  Presbytery  of  Northumberland, 
he  continued  to  use,  as  a  general  thing,  in  his  own  churches, 
the  old  version  of  the  Psalms.  This  he  did,  not  because 
he  had  conscientious  scruples  against  using  other  sacred 


o6  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

songs,  but  because  many  of  his  people,  especially  the  more 
aged,  preferred  the  Psalmody  to  which  they  had  so  long 
been  accustomed.  But  in  the  prayer-meetings,  Sabbath- 
schools,  and  when  officiating  in  churches  where  other  hym- 
nology  had  been  introduced,  he  was  glad  to  use  the  Psalms 
and  Hymns  of  Watts  and  others. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

Pastorate  at  Milton,  continued — A  Reformer — Labors  in  the  Temperance 
Reform— Rum  at  Funerals— His  Protest— Presbyterial  Action— Oppo- 
sition— His  Steadfastness — Beecher's  Lectures — Chambers's  Medicine — 
Early  Educational  Labors — Milton  Academy — Dr.  Kirkpatrick — Wide- 
spread Usefulness  of  that  School — Its  Distinguished  Pupils. 

THE  subject  of  this  memoir  soon  found  himself  sur- 
rounded by  a  band  of  warm-hearted,  Christian 
people,  ready  to  co-operate  with  him  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord.  But  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  this  work  could 
make  marked  progress  without  encountering  opposition. 
Nor  was  it  to  be  expected  that  a  man  of  such  decided  con- 
victions and  pronounced  character  could  take  the  lead  in 
works  of  reformation  without  becoming,  to  some  extent, 
the  target  at  which  the  shafts  of  the  enemy  would  be  espe- 
cially aimed.  It  has  been  already  stated,  that  a  condition 
of  things,  somewhat  analogous  to  the  moderatism  of  the 
Church  of  Scotland,  pervaded  the  congregations  in  the 
region  of  his  labors.  In  his  own  charge,  and  in  many 
others,  there  was  a  large  amount  of  practical  antinomianism. 
Worldly  conformity  marked  the  conduct  of  most  professors 
of  religion ;  many  vices  abounded  in  the  community,  such 
as  intemperance,  gambling,  Sabbath-desecration,  and  pro- 
fanity ;  and  all  these  arrayed  themselves  against  the  efforts 
made  for  the  revival  of  spiritual  piety.  Even  church  mem- 
bers, in  many  cases,  resented  and  resisted  the  inroads  at- 
tempted to  be  made  upon  the  cold  formalism  that  palsied 
the  churches.  But  regardless  of  all  opposition,  from  what- 
ever quarter  it  came,  Mr.  Junkin  steadily  persisted  in  efforts 
at  the  much-needed  reform.  He  poured  forth  from  the 
pulpit  faithful,  earnest,  and  affectionate  remonstrances  and 
entreaties.     He  rallied  the  friends  of  religion  and   good 

9  (97) 


98  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

order,  and  led  them  on  in  assaults  upon  prevailing  evils, 
whilst  he  held  forth  the  gospel  as  the  grand  remedy  for  all 
the  ills  of  society. 

The  temperance  reformation  had  not  yet  assumed  the 
aspect  and  the  vantage  which  it  gained  a  few  years  later. 
He  took  ground  in  advance  of  any  general  movement  that 
had  as  yet  been  made.  We  have  seen,  that  before  he  left 
the  Theological  Seminary  he  had  privately  taken,  substan- 
tially, the  Nazarite's  vow,  so  far  as  intoxicating  drink  is 
concerned.  He  had  refused  the  first  call  made  for  his  pas- 
toral services,  chiefly  because  whiskey-drinking  was  so  prev- 
alent in  the  congregation.  And,  when  settled  in  a  pastoral 
charge,  he  early  commenced  an  earnest  crusade  against 
intemperance,  a  crusade  that  ended  only  with  his  life. 

Before  any  temperance  society  was  thought  of  in  his 
region,  he  practised  and  preached  total  abstinence.  His 
first  public  demonstration  against  the  bottle  was  a  refusal  to 
attend  any  funeral  where  strong  drink  was  exhibited.  On 
one  occasion  he  attended  the  funeral  of  a  neighbor  not 
of  his  flock,  but  when  the  bottle  made  its  appearance  he 
withdrew,  and,  although  followed  by  a  brother  minister 
and  urged  to  return,  he  persisted  in  withdrawing,  and  thus 
protesting  against  a  custom  that  he  deemed  to  be  alike  dis- 
honoring to  the  dead  and  injurious  to  the  living.  Soon 
after  becoming  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  Northum- 
berland, he  presented  a  set  of  resolutions  upon  this  sub- 
ject, and  secured  the  adoption  of  them.  One  of  these 
resolutions  was,  that  the  members  of  the  Presbytery  would 
not  attend  or  officiate  at  any  funeral  at  which  spirituous 
liquors  should  be  offered  to  the  guests.  This  was  probably 
the  first  definite  and  effective  action  taken  in  this  country 
by  any  ecclesiastical  body  against  the  monster  vice  of  in- 
temperance. For,  although  Synods  and  Assemblies  had  oc- 
casionally uttered  warnings  against  the  sin  of  intemperance, 
and  borne  testimony  against  it,  no  means  of  practical  effi- 


LABORS  IN   THE    TEMPERANCE  REFORM. 


99 


ciency  had  been  suggested  for  arresting  the  progress  of  the 
destroyer.  The  discipline  of  the  church,  it  is  true,  had 
sometimes  been  brought  to  bear  upon  the  crime  of  drunk- 
enness, but  this  always  came  too  late  as  a  remedy,  for  the 
fatal  disease  is  contracted,  and  the  dangerous  habit  formed, 
before  the  individual  becomes,  by  overt  transgression,  the 
subject  of  church  censure.  There  was  need  of  some  more 
effective  protest  against,  not  the  sin  merely,  but  the  cause  of 
the  sin,  which  lay  in  the  use  of  intoxicating  beverages. 
This  protest  Mr.  Junkin  made  in  the  form  already  men- 
tioned, and  he  persisted  in  the  protest,  in  connection  with 
his  brethren  of  the  Presbytery,  until  the  custom  of  exhib- 
iting  liquor  at  funerals  was  entirely  broken  up,  not  only  in 
Presbyterian  families,  but  very  generally  throughout  the 
community. 

Nor  was  he  contented  with  this  measure  of  opposition  to 
intemperance  and  its  cause.  In  private  and  in  public, 
orally  and  with  his  pen,  he  continued  to  "reprove,  re- 
buke, and  exhort,  with  all  long-suffering  and  doctrine." 
About  the  time  he  began  the  temperance  work  at  Milton, 
the  able  and  celebrated  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher  had  begun  it 
in  Boston  and  New  England.  That  eminent  man  delivered 
a  series  of  ''Lectures  on  Intemperance,"  which  were  pub- 
lished in  a  small  volume,  and  which  were  marked  by  the 
vigor  of  thought  and  pungency  of  appeal  that  were  pecu- 
liar to  their  author.  These  lectures  Mr.  Junkin  procured  and 
endeavored  to  circulate.  But  finding  the  people  slow  to 
buy  and  read  them,  he  made  appointments  of  public  meet- 
ings, and  read  these  lectures  to  them,  with  occasional  re- 
marks of  his  own.  Great  numbers  attended  these  readings, 
and  these  were  the  first  "  temperance  meetings"  held  in  the 
Susquehanna  region.  The  fact  that  a  man  of  Mr.  Junkin's 
acknowledged  ability  would  read  the  lectures  of  another, 
is  proof,  that  it  was  the  cause  he  had  at  heart,  and  not  the 
winning  of  personal  eclat. 


loo  LIFE    OF  DR.    GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

So  uncompromising  was  his  hostility  to  intemperance, 
and  so  deep  his  sympathy  and  concern  for  the  inebriate, 
tliat  he  seized  upon  every  auxiliary  of  reform.  About  that 
time,  a  certain  Dr.  Chambers  had  invented,  as  he  professed, 
a  remedy  for  intemperance,  of  a  medicinal  kind.  "  Cham- 
bers's Remedy  for  Intemperance"  was,  for  a  time,  much  in 
vogue,  and,  in  some  cases,  did  appear  to  effect  reform,  by 
producing  in  the  patient  disgust  for  liquor.  But  its  efficacy 
appeared  to  depend  upon  the  law  of  association,  and,  by 
producing  intense  nausea,  associated  that  nausea  with  the 
liquor  in  which  the  medicine  was  infused.  Mr.  Junkin 
heard  of  this  remedy,  procured  a  quantity  of  it,  and,  some- 
times with  the  consent  of  the  victim,  sometimes  without 
his  knowledge,  but  with  the  consent  of  his  family,  attempted 
to  exorcise  the  demon.  In  many  cases  there  was  temporary 
deliverance  from  the  destroying  appetite ;  in  a  few  cases, 
permanent  rescue.  But,  after  a  short-lived  popularity,  the 
remedy,  like  many  other  nostrums,  proved  a  failure.  Many 
of  the  scenes  connected  with  the  exhibition  of  "  Cham- 
bers's Remedy"  were  ludicrous  in  the  extreme,  especially 
when  the  patients,  or  the  victims,  did  not  know  that  they 
had  drunk  anything  but  their  favorite  beverage  in  its 
purity.  The  physical  commotion  produced  was  indeed 
alarming,  and  was  well  calculated  to  frighten  and  disgust 
the  unfortunate  into  abstinence. 

It  may  excite  surprise  that  such  a  remedy  for  intemper- 
ance should  gain  such  extensive  popularity,  and  that  men 
so  judicious  as  Dr.  Junkin,  and  many  others  of  his  brethren 
in  the  ministry,  should  lend  themselves  to  its  distribution. 
But  if  it  be  remembered,  that  drunkenness  is  a  disease  of  the 
stomach  and  nervous  system,  as  well  as  a  sin,  we  need  not 
wonder  that  earnest  philanthropists  would  seize  upon  any 
physical  remedy  (coming  from  a  respectable  medical  source, 
and  commended,  as  it  was,  by  great  names)  that  might  prom- 
ise to  eradicate  a  habit  so  ruinous  to  soul,  body,  and  estate. 


OPPOSITION.  ioi 

Mr.  Junkin's  family  physician  was  a  gentleman  of  fine 
talents,  good  education,  and  of  eminent  skill  in  his  pro- 
fession. He  was,  withal,  a  man  of  generous  impulses,  kind 
heart,  and  fine  social  qualities.  But  he  was  likely  to  fall 
before  this  destroyer,  who  had  slain  so  many  strong  men. 
This  physician  and  his  family  attended  upon  Mr.  Junkin's 
ministrations  ;  and  a  close  intimacy  subsisted  between  the 
families.  The  pastor's  regard  for  the  gifted  yet  tempted 
physician  was  intensified  by  the  assiduous  care  and  skill 
which  the  latter  bestowed  upon  him  during  the  only  very 
serious  illness  of  his  life,  previous  to  his  last.  With  God's 
blessing,  the  pastor's  life  was  spared,  and,  after  his  recovery, 
he  showed  his  gratitude  by  writing  to  the  physician  a  series 
of  letters,  eight  in  number,  couched  in  the  most  earnest, 
pungent,  and  affectionate  terms,  remonstrating  and  reason- 
ing with  him  upon  the  subject  of  his  dangerous  and  sinful 
habit.  We  may  again  recur  to  this  correspondence,  and 
only  mention  it  here  as  illustrative  of  the  indefatigable 
zeal  and  unshrinking  faithfulness  with  which  Mr.  J.  sought 
to  snatch  souls  as  brands  from  that  terrible  burning. 

Before  dismissing  the  subject  of  his  labors,  at  Milton 
and  elsewhere,  in  the  temperance  reformation,  it  may  as 
well  be  stated  that,  after  he  became  an  editor,  the  columns 
of  the  periodical  which  he  issued  contained  from  time  to 
time  strong  articles  in  advocacy  of  that  reform.  He 
assailed  the  evil  in  all  its  phases.  He  was  among  the 
first,  if  not  the  first,  to  attack  the  manufacture  and  traffic 
of  intoxicating  drinks.  He  assailed  the  social  habits  of 
the  people,  that  required  the  bottle  and  the  glass  to  be  put 
to  the  neighbor's  mouth.  He  bore  down  upon  the  custom, 
then  and  still  too  prevalent,  of  using  liquor  as  the  agent 
of  bribery  at  elections.  Of  course  these  assaults  upon  the 
enemy  drew  their  fire,  which  came,  not  in  the  form  of 
argument,  for  of  this  they  had  none,  but  in  the  shape  of 
discontinuances  of  his  paper,  abusive  letters,  both  anony- 

9* 


J02  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

mous  and  with  names,  coarse  attacks  in  the  secular  papers, 
petty  personal  annoyances,  and,  in  a  few  cases,  discontin- 
uance of  social  comities.  A  prominent  politician  and 
military  gentleman,  who  afterwards  figured  in  the  Mexican 
War,  and  was  brought  home  from  it  dead,  took  intense  um- 
brage at  an  article  headed  "  Whiskey  Bribery,"  and  sent  a 
curt  and  cross  note  discontinuing  the  paper,  and  assigning 
as  a  reason  the  article  in  question.  This  led  to  a  sharp 
correspondence,  in  which  the  reverend  editor  boldly  main- 
tained his  ground,  and  in  which  the  soldier  proved  that 
the  pen  was  possibly  less  puissant  with  him  than  the  sword. 
All  these  things,  whilst  they  perhaps  occasioned  the  cham- 
pion of  temperance  pecuniary  loss,  and  some  personal 
annoyance,  nevertheless  aroused  the  public  mind  to  inquiry 
and  consideration,  spread  true  principles,  and  prepared  the 
way  for  the  triumph  of  that  cause  in  which  he  was  a  suffer- 
ing laborer. 

Gambling,  horse-racing,  Sabbath-breaking,  profanity, 
and  all  those  vices  that  feed  upon  the  master  vice  of 
intemperance,  received  a  due  proportion  of  the  reformer's 
attention,  both  from  press,  pulpit,  and  rostrum  ;  and,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  the  practicers  and  abettors  of  these  vices, 
when  not  convinced  and  converted  from  the  errors  of  their 
ways,  were  roused  to  fierce  opposition.  This  opposition 
did  not  always  vent  itself  in  mere  curses,  but  resorted  to 
various  petty  annoyances  and  private  injuries.  On  one 
occasion  the  gamblers  sent  an  unsuspecting  negro  man  to 
Mr.  Junkin's  house,  during  his  absence,  to  ask  for  a  pack 
of  cards ;  and  this  was  a  moderate  specimen  of  the  means 
resorted  to  by  the  sons  of  Belial.  "But  none  of  these 
things  moved  him."  When  his  friends  would  sometimes 
tremble  for  his  safety,  and  express  anxiety  for  the  results 
of  his  bold  assaults  upon  prevailing  sins,  he  would  calmly 
smile  at  their  fears,  bid  them  have  patience  and  trust  in 
God ;  and,  in  regard  to  the  misrepresentations  to  which 


MILTON  ACADEMY. 


103 


the  gainsayers  often  resorted,  would  quietly  quote  the 
Proverb  (xii.  19),  "the  lying  tongue  is  but  for  a  moment." 
Indeed,  throughout  his  whole  life,  this  and  similar  Scrip- 
ture assurances  seemed  to  be  his  shield  against  the  voice 
of  slander;  and  such  was  his  implicit  confidence  in  such  por- 
tions of  the  Holy  Word,  that  he  never  was  as  much  moved 
or  vexed  by  misrepresentation  as  most  other  men  are. 

But  whilst  his  labors  in  his  own  charge,  and  in  the  cause 
o>{  the  Bible,  the  Sabbath,  the  Sabbath-school,  the  Tract 
Society,  and  the  Temperance  reform,  were  various,  ample, 
and  indefatigable,  other  Christian  and  philanthropic  enter- 
prises received  at  the  same  time  a  large  share  of  his  atten- 
tion and  his  toil.  Although  he  had  as  yet  no  children  of 
his  own  of  suitable  age  to  educate,  he  early  inaugurated 
measures  to  improve  the  facilities  for  education  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lived.  He  found  the  schools  in  a  very 
backward  and  imperfect  condition,  and  soon  began  to 
agitate  for  their  improvement.  By  conversation,  by  pulpit 
instruction,  and  by  occasional  appeals  through  the  press, 
he  succeeded  in  awakening  an  interest  in  the  subject,  and  in 
forming  a  joint-stock  company,  for  the  purpose  of  estab- 
lishing an  English,  Mathematical,  and  Classical  Academy. 
He  was  himself  a  liberal  subscriber,  and  the  movement  re- 
sulted in  the  founding  of  the  celebrated  "  Milton  Academy," 
which,  under  the  principalship  of  that  renowned  teacher, 
the  late  Rev.  David  Kirkpatrick,  D.D.,  was  a  very  popular 
and  effective  school. 

Mr.  Kirkpatrick,  a  native  of  the  North  of  Ireland,  a 
student  of  Belfast  Collegiate  Institution,  and  a  graduate  of 
the  University  of  Glasgow,  was  employed  for  a  short  time 
teaching  a  classical  school  in  Oxford,  Chester  County,  Pa., 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dickey,  the  brother-in- 
law  of  Mr.  Junkin.  There  the  last-named  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  the  young  Scotch-Irishman,  and  induced 
him  to  come  to  Milton  and  become  the  Principal  of  the 


104  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

incipient  academy.  Pending  the  erection  of  the  academy 
building,  which  was  located  upon  an  eminence,  beautiful 
for  situation,  east  of  the  village,  temporary  accommoda- 
tions for  the  school  were  hired  ;  and  the  institution  opened 
under  very  favorable  prospects.  It  soon  rose  into  distinc- 
tion, and  not  only  retained  that  portion  of  the  youth  of 
the  town  who  formerly  were  sent  abroad  for  instruction,  but 
attracted  students  from  distant  parts  of  the  Commonwealth, 
and  from  other  States.  Perhaps  no  institution  of  the  kind, 
with  such  a  meagre  expenditure  of  funds  in  its  establish- 
ment, ever  accomplished  a  larger  measure  of  educational 
benefit.  This  was  chiefly  owing  to  the  efficiency  and  skill 
of  the  Principal  and  his  assistants  ;  but  the  influence  of  the 
subject  of  this  memoir  was  constantly  exerted,  not  only  in 
founding  it,  but  in  sustaining  its  discipline  and  thorough- 
ness of  drill,  in  extending  its  fame,  and  in  bringing 
students  to  its  classes.  His  frequent  visits  to  the  school, 
and  his  unflagging  interest  in  its  welfare,  did  much  to  sus- 
tain and  encourage  the  Principal,  and  to  encourage  the 
pupils.  The  Principal  of  the  school  and  the  pastor  of  the 
church  became  close  friends, — a  friendship  that  terminated 
only  with  their  lives.     They  died  in  the  same  year. 

It  is  impossible  to  measure,  by  any  human  standard  of 
calculation,  the  influences  for  good  which  Mr.  Junkin  set 
in  operation  when  he  succeeded  in  inaugurating  the  Milton 
Academy.  Streams,  for  many  years,  continued  to  issue 
from  that  fountain,  that  refreshed  the  country  and  distant 
parts  of  the  world,  whilst  they  made  glad  the  city  of  our 
God.  Not  only  was  it  a  religious  and  educational  ad- 
vantage to  the  community  in  which  it  was  located,  but 
also  to  distant  communities  in  our  own  country,  to  distant 
continents  and  islands  of  the  sea.  Asia,  Africa,  Europe, 
America,  and  the  Pacific  Islands  have  felt,  and  still  feel, 
the  influence  of  that  unpretending  institution. 

The  first  missionary  to  Arkansas ;  one  of  the  first  mis- 


DISTINGUISHED   PUPILS.  105 

sionaries  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  to  Africa ;  a  mission- 
ary to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  the  man  who  more  than  any 
other  shaped  the  educational  and  governmental  systems  of 
those  islands — many  ministers  of  the  gospel  of  eminence, 
many  eminent  lawyers  and  statesmen,  many  eminent  phy- 
sicians, and — what  is  not  the  least  important  in  regard  to 
wide-spread  usefulness — many  eminent  teachers,  were  edu- 
cated at  that  academy,  and  mostly  under  the  ministerial 
influence  of  Mr.  Junkin. 

That  academy  gave  two  Governors  to  Pennsylvania, 
Pollock  and  Curtin,  the  latter  of  whom  is  now  Ambassador 
at  the  Court  of  Russia.  It  gave  a  Professor  of  Natural 
Philosophy  to  the  University  of  Georgia,  a  President  to 
the  College  of  South  Carolina,  Charles  F.  McCay,  LL.D., 
and  a  Professor  of  Belles-Lettres  to  Lafayette  College.  It 
gave  to  the  State  and  the  country  such  men  as  Judge  Comly 
and  Judge  Naudain,  with  Senators  and  Congressmen  who 
adorned  their  station  ;  and  it  gave  to  the  church  such  men 
as  J.  W.  Moore,  Matthew  Laird,  the  first  missionary  to 
Western  Africa,  Dr.  Richard  Armstrong,  missionary  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  and  Minister  of  Public  Instruction  for 
that  kingdom,  and  who  did  perhaps  more  for  its  civiliza- 
tion than  any  other ;  Dr.  John  M.  Dickey,  a  useful  pastor, 
and  the  chief  founder  of  Lincoln  University ;  Dr.  S.  S. 
Sheddan,  of  New  Jersey ;  Rev.  J.  Mason  Galloway,  late  of 
Clearfield ;  Dr.  George  Marshall,  an  eminent  pastor  and 
educator,  of  Western  Pennsylvania;  the  late  Rev.  Robt. 
Bryson  ;  the  Rev.  P.  B.  Marr,  a  preacher  of  great  ability; 
Rev.  Daniel  M.  Barber;  Rev.  Daniel  Gaston,  late  of  Phila- 
delphia; Dr.  James  C.  Hepburn,  the  devoted  and  efficient 
missionary,  first  to  China  and  now  in  Japan.  These, 
and  many  others,  did  this  institution  give  to  the  church 
and  country,  whose  names  have  adorned  the  rolls  of  the 
church,  and  whose  influence  for  good  has  been  wide-spread 
and  effective.     The  writer  of  this  memoir,  too,  owes  more 


106  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

to  the  Milton  Academy  than  to  any  other  institution  for 
any  attainments  in  solid  learning  that  he  has  been  en- 
abled to  make.  Had  Mr.  Junkin  accomplished  nothing  in 
the  department  of  education  but  the  founding  of  this 
Academy,  he  had  not  lived  in  vain  ! 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Inadequate  Maintenance — Purchase  of  a  Farm,  and  Removal  to  it — Socin- 
ian  Controversy — Discussion  of  Baptism — The  Religious  Farmer — Pas- 
toral Labors — Sickness — Matthew  Laird — A  Vow — How  his  Mind  was 
drawn  to  the  Subject  of  Manual  Labor  Education — Manner — Help- 
meet—  The  Covenant  —  Prophecy — Rev.  J.  W.  Moore's  Letter — The 
Storm. 

ABOUT  the  time  of  Mr.  Junkin's  entrance  upon  his 
pastorate  at  Milton,  the  question  whether  religion 
could  be  supported  upon  the  voluntary  principle  was  fast 
approaching  a  negative  solution  in  most  parts  of  America. 
A  few,  but  far  from  all,  of  the  city  pastors  received  a  sti- 
pend barely  adequate  to  support  their  families,  but  the  great 
majority  of  pastors,  in  town  and  country,  received  much 
less  than  a  competence,  and  were  generally  constrained  to 
resort  to  other  methods  of  eking  out  a  support.  Things 
are  assuming  a  better  condition  of  late  years;  but,  for  a 
long  time,  the  voluntary  system  of  church  support  threat- 
ened to  be  a  failure. 

The  people  of  his  charge  had  promised  Mr.  J.  in  their 
call  what  would  have  been  at  that  day  sufficient  to  support 
a  family  upon  an  economical  scale;  but,  not  from  inability, 
but  heedlessness,  little  more  than  half  of  it  was  ever  paid. 
In  view  of  this,  he  purchased  a  small  piece  of  woodland 
(sixty  acres),  two  miles  from  the  town  of  Milton,  on  the 
road  to  his  country  church,  Penuel.  To  his  already  ardu- 
ous labors  he  then  added  the  cares  of  superintending  the 
clearing  of  a  farm,  the  erection  of  a  house  and  barn,  and, 
subsequently,  the  management  of  the  farm.  Whatever  he 
did,  he  did  with  energy,  and  upon  everything  he  under- 
took he  sought  to  throw  the  best  lights  of  science.     The 

(  107  ) 


108  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

experience  of  his  earlier  life  was  now  of  practical  bene- 
fit, and  he  sought  to  apply  to  agriculture  the  science  which 
he  had  acquired,  and  also  to  gather  from  agricultural  books 
and  periodicals  the  experience  of  others.  He  thus  became 
one  of  the  earliest  scientific  farmers  in  the  fertile  and  lovely 
valley  of  the  Susquehanna;  and  it  cannot  be  doubted,  that 
the  light  which  he  threw  upon  the  subject  by  his  conversa- 
tion, publications,  and  example,  tended  greatly  to  improve 
the  practical  farming  of  that  whole  region. 

This  farm  enterprise,  taken  in  connection  with  events 
already  mentioned,  and  others  now  to  be  introduced,  led 
him  to  add  to  his  other  labors  the  toils  and  cares  of 
editorship.  In  his  Bible,  tract,  Sunday-school,  and  tem- 
perance labors,  he  felt  the  want  of  a  convenient  medium  of 
communication  with  the  religious  public,  and  a  vehicle  of 
religious  intelligence.  Religious  newspapers  were  not  at 
that  day  so  numerous  as  now,  and  all  that  were  published 
issued  from  the  cities  of  Philadelphia,  Boston,  and  New 
York,  then  much  more  distant,  in  point  of  time,  from  the 
interior  than  they  now  are.  Now  a  notice  of  a  religious 
assembly  can  be  sent  to  one  of  the  cities,  printed  in  a  reli- 
gious paper,  and  widely  circulated,  in  almost  any  part  of 
the  country,  in  a  few  days.  Then  it  required  weeks  to  do 
it,  and  as  but  few  copies  of  these  city  papers  circulated, 
they  formed  a  very  insufficient  medium  of  communication 
with  people  living  in  the  remote  rural  districts.  This  reli- 
gious want  of  his  vicinage,  and  a  similar  want  in  the  means 
of  agricultural  information,  made  him  hope  that  a  local 
periodical  might  be  of  great  benefit  to  all  these  interests. 

Other  considerations,  now  to  be  mentioned,  led  his  mind 
in  the  same  direction.  There  lived  and  preached  at  that 
time,  in  the  town  of  Northumberland,  a  Unitarian  clergy- 
man, the  Rev.  Mr.  K ,  a  native  of  England.    He  came 

to  Milton,  also,  at  stated  times,  and  officiated  for  such  as 
would  go  to  hear  him.     He  was  a  gentleman  of  high  cul- 


SOCINIAN  CONTROVERSY. 


109 


ture,  and  reputed  a  mature  scholar.  He  was  not  content 
with  assailing  the  doctrine  of  our  Lord's  Supreme  Divinity 
and  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  from  the  pulpit,  but  re- 
sorted to  the  press  in  default  of  obtaining  large  audiences 
to  address  orally.  He  published  one  or  more  essays  in  The 
Miltonian,  a  secular  paper,  issued  in  Milton.  Mr.  Junkin 
felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  reply  to  them,  and  he  was  thus  drawn 
into  a  protracted  controversy  upon  these  topics.  His 
replies  were  published  in  The  State' s  Advocate,  the  other 
local  weekly. 

The  manuscript  of  his  part  in  this  controversy  is  still 
preserved,  and  furnishes  proof  of  the  great  ability  and 
learning  which  he  displayed  in  defence  of  our  Lord's  Su- 
preme Divinity.  Many  competent  judges,  educated  men, 
pronounced  it  the  ablest  argument  which  they  had  ever 
read  upon  the  subject.  It  was  generally  conceded  that  the 
learned  Socinian  was  vanquished.  The  writer  of  these 
pages  is  not  a  sufficiently  impartial  judge,  but  must  make 
the  record  that  he  has  never  met  with  any  discussion  of 
these  great  themes  quite  so  satisfactory  and  convincing. 

About  the  time  this  discussion  was  closing,  Mr.  Junkin 
had,  as  a  matter  of  Christian  courtesy,  loaned  to  a  Baptist 
minister  the  use  of  his  (Shiloh)  church  in  Milton,  to  be 
occupied  on  the  days  in  which  Mr.  J.  officiated  in  the 
country.  There  were  a  few  Baptist  families  in  Milton  and 
vicinity,  but  they  had  no  place  of  worship.  The  Rev. 
Eugenio  Kinkaid,  afterwards  the  Rev.  Dr.  Kinkaid,  a  dis- 
tinguished missionary  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  the  Burman 
Empire,  was  the  person  who  obtained  the  use  of  Shiloh 
Church,  and,  as  the  number  of  Baptists  was  very  small,  his 
congregation  was  largely  composed  of  those  who  waited 
upon  Mr.  Junkin's  ministry.  Under  these  circumstances, 
it  might  have  been  presumed  that  Mr.  K.  would  be  con- 
tent to  preach  the  doctrines  of  our  common  Christianity, 
without  introducing  the  points  in  controversy  between  his 

10 


IIO  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

sect  and  the  Presbyterians.  But  such  did  not  appear  to  be 
his  sense  of  duty.  He  assailed  the  doctrines  of  the  Pres- 
byterians on  the  subject  of  Baptism  from  a  Presbyterian 
pulpit  and  before  an  audience  chiefly  Presbyterian.  After 
this  had  been  done  several  times,  Mr.  Junkin  replied,  and 
this  opened  up  another  discussion.  And  as  he  had  thus 
been  providentially  drawn  into  a  position  in  which  he  must 
either  prove  unfaithful  to  duty  or  stand  forth  as  a  defender  of 
the  faith,  the  necessity  of  having  a  paper  under  his  own  con- 
trol, through  whose  columns  he  might  advocate  the  princi- 
ples that  he  was  set  to  defend,  was  more  strongly  pressed 
upon  his  mind. 

The  following,  found  among  his  papers  of  that  period, 
discloses  the  motives  that  prompted  him  to  this  undertaking, 
whilst  it  gives  us  an  insight  of  the  inner  life  of  the  man, 
and  informs  us  of  his  method  of  entering  upon  any  im- 
portant enterprise  or  duty: 

"Dec.  18th,  1827,  half-past  11  o'clock. 

"I  have  long  and  anxiously  deliberated  with  myself  and 
my  friends  on  the  subject  of  publishing  the  Religious  Farmer. 
The  want  of  an  adequate  subscription  presents  a  serious  ob- 
jection. When  I  confer  with  flesh  and  blood,  my  dearest  and 
best  friends,  on  the  subject,  I  am  thrown  into  great  per- 
plexities as  to  the  success  of  the  measure ;  but  when  I  seek 
advice  from  Him  who  is  the  wonderful  Counsellor,  my  fears 
generally  vanish  away.  I  have  just  spent  half  an  hour  in 
converse  with  God  about  this  matter.  I  bowed  my  knees, 
full  of  perplexity  and  doubts.  I  have,  in  a  most  solemn 
manner,  sought  direction;  have  examined  my  own  heart 
afresh  as  to  the  leading  motives;  appealed  to  the  heart- 
searching  God  to  judge  and  let  me  know  whether  to  thrust 
myself  into  public  view,  and  to  gain  public  applause,  is  a 
motive  at  all,  and  to  what  extent.  And  I  now  feel  that  if 
it  is  at  all  a  motive  in  the  corruption  of  this  heart,  it  is  one 
of  very  minor  influence.  I  have  asked  again,  that  if  a 
desire  of  worldly  gain  has  any  weight,  He  would  let  me  see 
it.  And  here  I  fear  the  deceitfulness  of  my  own  heart; 
and  yet  the  prospect  of  gain  is  so  small,  and  of  loss  so  cer- 


"THE  RELIGIOUS  FARMER."  m 

tain,  that  I  conclude  that  the  desire  for  gain  can  have  very- 
little  influence.  I  have  appealed  time  after  time,  both  now 
and  on  former  occasions,  to  the  All-seeing  Eye  to  judge 
whether  the  prime  moving  cause  of  the  inclination  of  my 
heart  to  this  work  is  not  a  sincere  desire  to  advance  the 
welfare  of  Zion  and  the  glory  of  her  King.  I  have  thought 
this  to  be  the  case,  and  have  often  prayed,  with  all  the  ardor 
and  importunity  of  which  my  soul  is  capable,  that,  if  it  be 
not  so,  a  thousand  barriers  may  be  thrown  in  the  way  of 
the  commencement  of  this  work.  .  .  .  And  now  I  rise 
from  the  interview  with  God  with  scarcely  a  doubt  as  to  the 
practicability  and  great  usefulness  of  the  undertaking. 
Because  it  does  appear  to  me  that  if  God  did  not  intend 
good  to  his  church  from  it,  He  would  influence  my  mind 
against  it.  I  think  I  feel  now,  more  than  I  ever  did,  dis- 
posed to  spend  myself  and  all  I  possess  or  control  in  the 
service  of  Jesus  Christ.  And,  if  I  am  not  mistaken  in  this 
thought,  surely  my  Master  will  not  frown  upon  this  effort  to 
do  good.  I  know  success  depends  upon  Him.  He  only 
can  enable  me  to  conduct  the  paper  in  his  fear.  To  Him  I 
look  for  guidance.  I  think  I  have  faith  in  Him,  and,  there- 
fore, I  lay  myself  to  this  work  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord 
my  God;  and  in  his  name  do  I  lift  up  this  banner,  feeling 
in  my  heart  a  delightful  assurance  that  when  displayed,  the 
Lord  will  rally  many  friends  around  it." 

Accordingly,  he  commenced,  on  the  ist  of  January,  1828, 
the  publication  of  "The  Religious  Farmer,"  which  was 
published  once  in  two  weeks.  It  was  a  royal  octavo  of 
sixteen  pages,  printed  with  two  columns  on  each  page.  It 
was  continued  to  the  ist  of  January,  1830,  until  a  short 
time  before  he  was  called  to  preside  over  the  institution  at 
Germantown.  The  motto  at  the  head  of  this  little  publi- 
cation was  truly  descriptive  of  the  character  and  life  of  its 
editor:  "  Not  slothful  in  business;  fervent  inspirit;  serving 
the  Lord."  The  circulation  was  chiefly  confined  to  the 
region  of  Pennsylvania  of  which  Milton  was  the  centre, 
and,  whilst  it  was  not  a  pecuniary  success,  it  was  instru- 
mental in  great  good.    It  was  devoted,  as  its  title  indicates, 


H2  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

to  the  interests  of  religion  and  agriculture ;  but  contained 
much  other  valuable  matter  bearing  upon  all  the  interests 
of  religion,  education,  literature,  and  industrial  economy. 
It  widely  extended  his  influence  and  usefulness,  enabling 
him  to  speak  at  hundreds  of  firesides  beyond  the  limits  of 
his  immediate  pastoral  charge.  In  its  columns  he  waged  a 
fearless  war  upon  intemperance  and  other  vices,  and  against 
error  and  immorality  in  all  their  forms,  whilst,  by  dissem- 
inating intelligence  concerning  the  benevolent  operations 
of  the  day,  he  brought  up  the  churches  more  effectively  to 
the  work.  It  may  as  well  be  here  stated,  that  when,  in 
1830,  he  ceased  the  publication  of  this  paper,  he  transferred 
the  subscription-list,  without  compensation,  to  the  only 
religious  paper  then  printed  in  Philadelphia.  The  Phila- 
delphian  was,  at  that  time,  under  the  editorial  control  of 
Dr.  Ezra  Styles  Ely,  and  to  it  Mr.  Junkin  transferred  the 
subscription-list  of  the  Fanner,  little  apprehending  that,  in 
less  than  three  years,  the  paper,  whose  circulation  he  thus 
helped  to  extend,  would  become  a  virulent  opponent  of 
that  reform  in  the  church  in  which,  in  God's  providence, 
he  was  destined  to  bear  so  conspicuous  a  part. 

It  might  be  supposed  that  a  man  upon  whom  rested  the 
cares  of  a  pastoral  charge,  of  an  editorial  chair,  and  of  the 
various  Christian  enterprises  in  which  he  bore  so  prominent 
a  part,  would  have  little  time  to  devote  to  the  details  of 
any  of  them,  or  that,  having  so  many  things  on  his  hands, 
some  must  needs  be  neglected.  But  it  was  not  so.  Every 
thing  he  undertook  was  well  and  thoroughly  done.  Not  an 
item  in  the  long  schedule  of  his  employments  was  neglected. 
His  pulpit,  his  Bible-classes,  his  Sabbath-schools,  his  paper, 
his  farm,  all  were  carried  on  efficiently.  He  not  only  de- 
vised the  system  of  Bible  Society,  Tract,  and  Sabbath-school 
efforts,  but  he  was  the  chief  actuary  in  working  the  system. 
The  Bibles,  tracts,  and  Sabbath-school  books,  for  the  supply 
of  four  large  counties,  were  all  sent  to  him,  and,  under  his 


REMOVAL    TO   MILTON.  113 

superintendence,  distributed.  The  Bible,  Tract,  and  Sab- 
bath-school Depositories  were  kept  at  Milton  under  his  eye. 
He  obtained  the  gratuitous  services  of  a  highly  intelligent 
and  energetic  young  lady,  one  of  his  spiritual  children, 
and  the  daughter  of  a  leading  merchant  of  the  place,  to 
manage  the  Sabbath-school  Depository,  keeping  it  at  her 
father's  house.  But  the  Bibles,  tracts,  and  so  forth  were 
distributed  from  his  own  house. 

Nor  were  the  minutiae  of  pastoral  duty  neglected : 

"It  was  my  regular  custom  to  visit  every  family  con- 
tributing to  the  support  of  the  congregations  I  served,  once 
a  year,  and  this  I  did  in  company  with  an  elder.  I  an- 
nounced on  Sabbath  the  families  I  expected  to  visit  on  a 
given  day,  and  in  the  order  of  successive  calls,  so  that  each 
could  know  about  what  time  to  expect  us.  Other  visits, 
very  many,  I  paid,  especially  in  cases  of  sickness.  The 
great  difficulty  always  was,  in  drawing  out  the  personal 
views  and  feelings  of  those  with  whom  we  conversed.  It 
is  amazing  how  reluctant  people  are  to  talk  about  religion, 
— the  practical  and  personal  phases  of  it.  Mere  doctrinal 
matters  were  more  easily  managed.  I  used  the  Shorter 
Catechism  always,  but  of  course  never,  at  a  single  visit,  got 
over  the  whole  of  it."* 

When  he  undertook  the  publication  of  a  paper,  it  be- 
came necessary  that  he  should  remove  to  town,  and  he 
accordingly  purchased  a  house  and  lot  in  the  borough  of 
Milton,  which  he  enlarged,  and  fitted  up  into  a  neat  and 
comfortable  mansion,  and,  when  completed,  removed  his 
household  to  it.  But  incidents,  interesting  in  themselves, 
and  connected  with  his  future  history,  occurred  whilst  re- 
siding upon  his  Turbot  farm,  which  ought  now  to  be  related, 
and  we  go  back  in  the  narrative  to  bring  up  omissions : 

"  Whilst  building  my  barn,  I  was  attacked  with  a  violent 
bilious  fever,  then  extensively  prevalent.     It  was  the  only 

*  Rem. 
IO* 


114  LIFE    0F  DR-  GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

time  in  my  life  that  I  was  dangerously  sick.  At  times  it 
seemed  likely  to  prove  fatal.  My  soul,  during  this  illness, 
experienced  great  tenderness  of  religious  affection,  especi- 
ally when  my  dear  and  precious  wife  and  I  talked  of  the 
possibility  of  our  soon  being  separated.  Never  until  this 
trying  hour  did  I  know  the  full  value  of  a  true-hearted, 
pious  wife.  Nor  did  I  lack  any  possible  kindness  from 
neighbors.  But,  above  all,  from  Mrs.  W.  and  Mrs.  P. 
(mother  of  Governor  Pollock).  Such  kindness  and  most 
solicitous  attention  can  never  be  exceeded,  and  never  can 
my  heart  forget  or  cease  to  be  grateful  to  them  and  to  my 
God  for  their  ministrations  of  love.  No  hour,  day  or 
night,  during  the  time  of  my  peril,  but  the  eyes  of  one  of 
these  precious  women  were  upon  me.* 

"It  was  during  this  sickness  that  Matthew  Laird  came 
under  my  interested  attention.  William  Thomas,  a  pious 
Baptist,  who  attended  my  ministry,  was  doing  the  work  on 
my  barn,  being  a  carpenter.  I  asked  him  to  conduct  family 
worship  in  the  apartment  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  the  upper 
terminus  of  which  was  near  my  chamber-door,  so  that  I 
could  hear  pretty  well.  On  one  occasion  he  put  the  ser- 
vice upon  his  apprentice,  Matthew  Laird.  The  young 
man's  prayer  went  to  my  heart;  it  was  fervent  and  tender. 
When  my  wife  came  up  to  my  chamber  I  said  to  her,  '  If 
God  spares  my  life,  that  young  man  shall  enter  the  minis- 
try.' It  pleased  the  Lord  to  spare  my  life,  and  I  fulfilled 
my  vow.  Laird  went  as  a  missionary  to  Africa,  and  thence 
early  ascended  to  the  heavenly  glory  along  with  his  de- 
voted wife. 


*  Since  the  above  was  written,  ex-Governor  Pollock  has  related  to  the 
author  the  following  incident  connected  with  this  illness,  which  he  (the  Gov- 
ernor) had  from  his  mother.  She  was  watching  by  the  sick-bed  of  Mr. 
Junkin  at  the  time  the  physician  had  almost  abandoned  hope  of  his  recovery _ 
The  patient  had  lain  for  some  hours  in  a  stupor,  when  he  suddenly  awoke 
and  repeated  the  17th  and  18th  verses  of  the  118th  Psalm,  in  the  version  of 
Sir  Francis  Rouse : 

"  I  shall  not  die  but  live,  and  shall  the  works  of  God  discover, 
The  Lord  hath  me  chastised  sore,  but  not  to  death  given  over." 

And  the  utterance  seemed  prophetic ;  for,  from  that  moment,  he  grew 
steadily,  but  slowly,  better. 


MATTHEW  LAIRD. 


"5 


"That  prayer  of  Matthew  Laird  is,  in  a  certain  sense, 
the  start-point  of  Lafayette  College,  as  it  was  the  first  link 
in  the  chain  of  divine  providences  that  led  me  into  the 
department  of  education.  I  received  him  into  my  family 
(the  pious  carpenter  having  generously  relinquished  the  last 
year  of  his  apprenticeship),  and  aided  him  in  the  expenses 
of  his  education,  until,  as  mentioned,  I  saw  him  depart  to 
a  foreign  field.  This  turned  my  mind  more  fully  to  the 
subject  of  Christian  education  for  the  ministry,  and  from 
that  day  to  this  it  has  been  my  chief  life-work.  Soon  after- 
wards I  was  led  to  take  Daniel  Gaston  out  of  a  coach- 
maker's  shop  in  Milton,  and  start  him  upon  a  similar 
career.  He  has  long  been  a  most  useful  minister  of  the 
gospel,  and  is  now  a  pastor  in  Philadelphia.*  In  removing 
to  Milton,  one  object  had  in  view  was  to  arrange  for  aiding 
such  young  men.  In  constructing  my  barn  in  town,  I  made 
space  for  a  carpenter-shop,  so  as  to  afford  employment  and 
exercise  to  them  when  not  engaged  in  study.  In  following 
up  this  idea,  my  mind  was  attracted  to  the  Manual  Labor 
Academy  of  Pennsylvania,  located  at  Germantown,  and  the 
idea  of  combining  with  study  the  health-preserving  labor 
of  the  hands,  and  so  contribute  to  the  expenses  of  educa- 
tion, got  possession  of  my  mind,  and  the  development  of 
that  idea  resulted  in  Lafayette  College,  as  I  shall  show 
should  I  live  to  write  the  history  of  that  noble  institu- 
tion."! 

We  copy  the  following  allusion  to  the  case  of  Mr.  Laird 
from  the  annual  report  of  the  Board  of  Education  for  1847, 
written  by  the  pen  of  the  sainted  Dr.  Cortlandt  Van  Rens- 
selaer, who  was  a  classmate  of  Mr.  Laird  in  the  Princeton 
Seminary : 

WHAT  A  PASTOR  DID  FOR  AFRICA. 

"  On  the  banks  of  the  Susquehanna  was  once  settled  a 
Presbyterian  pastor  (yet  alive)  whom  God  afflicted  with 
sickness.  In  the  midst  of  languor  and  disease  it  was  sweet 
for  him  to  look  to  Christ,  and  to  form  high  and  solemn  re- 
solves to  live  more  unreservedly  to  his  glory  if  life  were 

*  Mr.  Gaston  died  before  Dr.  J.  f  Rem. 


Ii6  LIFE    OF  DR.  GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

spared.  His  meditations  were  one  day  interrupted  by  the 
hymns  of  praise  which  a  young  carpenter  mingled  with  his 
daily  work.  And  the  sick  man  heard  them.  His  pious 
and  enterprising  soul  soon  suggested  the  question,  '  Why 
may  not  this  young  carpenter  glorify  the  son  of  Joseph  in 
the  ministry  of  salvation?'  He  immediately  determined 
that  if  the  youth  were  of  a  suitable  character,  and  had  a 
love  of  souls,  he  would  educate  him,  in  the  hope  that  the 
Spirit  of  Christ  would  count  him  worthy  of  the  sacred  call- 
ing. The  pastor  insisted  upon  his  wife  inviting  the  young 
man  to  lead  in  family  prayers,  which  he  did  with  unusual 
unction.  Inquiries  justified  the  favorable  impression  re- 
ceived. The  pastor  recovers.  The  carpenter  lays  aside 
his  plane  and  his  saw.  He  enters  an  academy,  and  then  a 
college.  He  determines,  by  the  grace  of  God,  to  devote 
himself  to  the  ministry,  and  to  be  a  missionary  to  the  hea- 
then. He  enters  Princeton  Seminary.  The  peculiar  savor 
of  his  piety  is  yet  held  in  sacred  remembrance  there.  He 
sails  for  Africa,  and  enters  her  vast  fields  waving  with  the 
harvest.  In  the  midst  of  his  labors  the  noon-day  sun  smote 
down  the  reaper ;  but  doubtless  he  was  carried  home  re- 
joicing, 'bringing  his  sheaves  with  him.'  From  the  man- 
sions of  glory  he  testifies  to  the  precious  influences  of  a 
pastor's  care." 

The  allusion  was  doubtless  written  from  memory  by  Dr. 
Van  Rensselaer,  and  whilst  the  statement  does  not  embrace 
all  the  details,  it  is  substantially  correct. 

After  preparing  for  college  at  the  Milton  Academy,  Mr. 
Laird  repaired  to  Jefferson  College,  where  he  graduated; 
then  to  Princeton  Seminary,  where  he  completed  the  full 
course  of  study;  and  thence,  after  some  delay  in  needful 
preparation,  he  sailed  for  Africa  in  company  with  the  Rev. 
John  Cloud.  It  pleased  a  wise  Providence,  that  these  de- 
voted men  should  soon  be  cut  down  by  the  fever  of  that 
torrid  clime,  falling  early  martyrs  to  their  missionary  zeal. 
The  writer  of  these  pages  knew  them  both  intimately,  and 
loved  them  dearly.  "They  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in 
their  lives,  and  in  death  they  were  not  divided." 


JAMES   C.  HEPBURN.  117 

The  name  of  James  C.  Hepburn  has  been  mentioned 
among  the  valuable  men  trained  in  part  at  the  school 
of  Dr.  Kirkpatrick.  He  was  brought  up  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  Dr.  Junkin,  and  in  a  communication  from  Japan  to 
the  religious  journals  of  this  country,  published  a  few  years 
ago,  bore  testimony  to  the  faithfulness,  affection,  and  skill 
of  his  pastor  in  guiding  him  in  the  path  of  life,  and  as- 
cribed to  him  much  of  that  influence  which  turned  his 
attention  to  the  missionary  work,  and  fitted  him  for  the 
labors  which  he  has  been  able  to  perform.  Dr.  Hepburn 
studied  medicine  after  having  graduated  at  Nassau  Hall, 
and  has  spent  most  of  his  life  in  China  and  Japan  as  a 
missionary.  Ill  health  compelled  him  to  return  for  a  season 
to  this  country.  But,  after  practicing  his  profession  for  a 
few  years  in  New  York  City,  he  again  went  upon  missionary 
ground,  and  has  done  a  great  work  for  Christ  and  for  civil- 
ization in  the  empire  of  Japan,  having  prepared  a  diction- 
ary of  that  difficult  language,  and  translated  into  it  some 
portions  of  the  Word  of  God.  There  he  is  still  at  work ; 
and  until  the  results  of  the  labors  of  that  modest,  godly, 
scholarly,  and  accomplished  man  can  be  measured,  the 
extent  of  the  influences  for  good,  begun  by  Mr.  Junkin's 
instrumentality  at  Milton,  can  never  be  ascertained.  In 
the  spring  of  1828  Mr.  Junkin  removed  his  family  to  his 
new  residence  in  Milton,  in  which  he  continued  to  reside 
until  called  to  the  "Pennsylvania  Manual  Labor  Institu- 
tion," in  1830. 

Whilst  it  is  true  that  Mr.  Laird  was  the  first  person,  not 
of  their  own  family  connection,  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Junkin 
received  into  their  family,  with  a  view  to  aid  in  his  prepa- 
ration for  the  gospel  ministry,  and  whilst  his  case  was  the 
means  of  leading  them  more  largely  into  the  education 
enterprise,  yet  it  is  due  alike  to  truth  and  to  gratitude  to 
record  the  fact,  that  the  young  carpenter  was  the  fourth 
that  they  had  thus  received.     For  Mrs.  Junkin's  nephew, 


n8  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

that  eminent  minister  and  philanthropist  Dr.  John  M. 
Dickey,  was,  for  a  time,  an  inmate  of  their  house,  whilst 
pursuing  his  studies  with  Mr.  Kirkpatrick ;  and  the  son  of 
Mr.  Galloway,  Mr.  Junkin's  brother-in-law  and  pastor,  was 
for  years  an  inmate,  and  afterwards  became  an  eminent 
and  useful  minister ;  and  the  writer  of  this  narrative  was 
similarly  favored,  and  owes  more  to  them,  for  any  measure 
of  good  he  has  been  able  to  accomplish,  than  to  any  other 
human  beings. 

Mrs.  Junkin,  the  woman  who,  in  her  girlhood,  shrunk 
from  the  responsibilities  of  a  pastor's  wife  with  self-dis- 
trust, proved,  through  all  these  years  of  toil  and  sacrifice, 
an  helpmeet  for  him  indeed.  With  quiet,  unostentatious, 
and  cheerful  alacrity  she  seconded  all  his  efforts  for  good. 
Possessing  a  sound  and  judicious  mind,  a  heart  of  con- 
stant and  unfailing  kindness,  and  a  mature  and  accom- 
plished education,  she  not  only  made  his  home  cheerful 
and  happy,  and  the  scene  of  refined  hospitality,  but  in 
many  points  she  made  up  for  his  lack  of  service.  The 
multiplied  cares  and  labors  that  rested  upon  him,  naturally 
made  him  somewhat  abstracted  in  his  manner,  and  some- 
times, when  absorbed  in  thought  or  in  business,  he  would 
appear  cold  and  unsocial,  although  really  of  a  warm,  genial, 
and  hospitable  temperament.  This  lack  of  social  manner  was 
most  admirably  supplemented  by  her  cordial  habitude  and 
social  tact.  And  she  would  do  it  in  such  a  way  as  to  ap- 
pear a  part  of  her  husband,  and  make  the  visitor  feel  as  if  it 
came  from  him,  rather  than  to  present  herself  as  a  contrast 
to  his  unconscious  reserve.  She  was,  too,  a  wise  and  safe 
counsellor,  and  to  her,  on  all  important  occasions,  the 
strong  man  turned,  with  as  much  confidence  in  the  sound- 
ness of  her  judgment  as  in  the  affection  of  her  heart. 

But  the  impression  must  not  be  left  that  Dr.  J.  was  ever 
repulsive  in  his  manner.  It  was  the  calmness  of  abstrac- 
tion, and  discerning  people  soon  got  to  understand  it. 


THE    COVENANT.  Il9 

For  when  recalled  to  a  sense  of  what  was  passing,  no  man 
was  more  genial  in  social  intercourse,  and,  by  all  that  knew 
him  best,  he  was  as  much  beloved  as  admired. 

Before  terminating  our  account  of  his  pastorate  and 
other  diversified  labors  at  Milton,  a  few  incidents  ought  to 
be  mentioned  that  shed  light  upon  the  inner  life  of  his 
religious  character  and  labors.  His  house  was  the  centre 
of  a  religious  circle  of  humble  but  earnest  people,  who, 
amid  all  the  worldliness  that  surrounded  them,  maintained 
a  close  walk  with  God,  and  seemed  to  keep  the  incense 
burning  upon  the  social  altar  when  religion  languished  all 
around.  The  little  prayer-meeting,  mentioned  in  his  "Rem- 
iniscences, often  met  at  his  house,  and  was  mostly  marked 
by  fervor  in  the  devotional  exercises.  The  judgment-day 
only  can  disclose  the  influence  of  that  cluster  of  praying 
people.  Some  of  the  precious  names  are  found  appended 
to  the  following  covenant,  a  copy  of  which,  in  the  hand- 
writing of  the  lamented  Laird,  has  been  transmitted  to  the 
writer,  since  he  began  these  pages,  by  the  fifth  signer,  and 
the  only  survivor  of  the  eight  whose  names  are  affixed  : 

"At  the  House  of  the  Rev.  Geo.  Junkin,  Thursday  Evening, 
January  1st,  1829. 

"We  the  subscribers,  deeply  impressed  with  a  sense  of 
our  own  sins  and  shortcomings  during  the  past  year,  and 
desirous  of  feeling  pungent  sorrow  for  our  lukewarmness  in 
the  service  of  our  gracious  Redeemer,  and  believing  that  a 
mutual  pledge  of  increased  attention  to  the  duties  of  prayer, 
of  self-denial,  of  diligence  in  the  study  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, of  all  that  provocation  to  love  and  good  works, 
which  the  Bible  recommends,  might  be  a  means  of  secur- 
ing such  attention,  and  of  advancing  our  own  souls  in  the 
practical  knowledge  of  the  divine  life,  do  hereby  express 
our  desire  and  intention  of  heart,  to  love  God  and  his 
people  more  purely  and  fervently  during  this  year  than  we 
have  done  in  the  last,  to  serve  Him  and  them  better,  to 
live  more  abstracted  from  the  anxious  cares  of  this  life, 
more  loose  from  the  world,  more  steadily  prepared  for  our 


I20  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

transit  to  the  heavenly  state,  more  deeply  and  sensibly 
alive  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  our  friends  and  neighbors, 
the  church,  and  mankind  at  large,  more  actively  at  war  with 
sin,  less  conformed  to  the  world,  and  more  transformed  in 
the  renewing  of  our  minds ;  in  short,  we  desire  to  feel  as 
Paul  felt  when  he  said,  '  To  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die 
is  gain.'  And  if  God,  in  his  long-suffering,  should  spare 
our  lives  and  open  in  his  holy  providence  the  door,  it  is 
our  wish  and  desire  to  meet  in  this  room,  on  the  next 
New-Year's  evening,  to  thank  Him  for  his  mercies,  to  con- 
fess our  sins  before  Him  and  invoke  his  benediction.  Or, 
if  God  shall  see  proper  to  send  for  any  of  us,  the  survivors 
will  praise  Him  for  any  bright  hopes  He  may  have  caused  to 
play  around  the  grave's  devouring  mouth,  and  to  ask  Him  to 
bless  the  visitation  of  his  rod.  And  now  may  the  Lord 
our  Redeemer  display  the  might  of  his  holy  arm,  in  power- 
fully arresting  and  turning  the  attention  of  the  people  of 
this  town  and  its  vicinity  to  the  great  concerns  of  the 
eternal  world. 

"  Geo.  Junkin, 
"  Matthew  Laird, 
"  Wm.  L.  Housel, 
"  Julia  R.  Junkin, 
"  Mary  Moore, 
"John  Bodine, 
"Samuel  Morrison, 
"  Daniel  Gaston." 

This  is  here  inserted  as  an  index  of  the  spirit  that  per- 
vaded the  heart  of  its  writer,  the  pastor,  and  the  hearts  of 
the  seven  who  joined  with  him  in  the  covenant.  It  was 
an  odd  coincidence  that  the  copy  reached  the  writer,  by 
mail,  just  half  a  century  after  it  was  signed,  having  been 
sent  in  response  to  a  notice  in  the  Presbyterian,  asking  for 
material  for  this  biography. 

The  lady  who  sent  it,  Mrs.  Parke,  of  Pottsgrove,  is  the 
sister  of  the  Rev.  J.  Wilson  Moore,  the  first  missionary  to 
Arkansas  Territory,  before  mentioned  as  a  student  of  Mil- 
ton Academy.  When  he  heard  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Junkin, 
he  sent   to   the    Central  Presbyterian  a  communication   in 


REMINISCENCES   OF  A    PIONEER.  121 

regard  to  him,  parts  of  which  are  here  inserted,  as  contain- 
ing the  estimate  of  one  who  was  reared,  in  a  measure,  under 
his  influence  at  Milton,  and  because  it  will  throw  light 
upon  that  part  of  his  life  now  being  recorded.  Half  a 
century  had  not  erased  the  impression  made  upon  the 
mind  of  the  writer,  and,  forty  years  after  having  last  heard 
his  voice  in  the  pulpit,  he  was  able  thus  to  write : 

REMINISCENCES  OF  A  PIONEER. 

"  No  faithful  minister  of  the  gospel  has  any  proper  con- 
ception of  the  effects  of  his  own  labors.  He  may  often  in 
the  hours  of  his  despondency  imagine  that  he  has  labored 
in  vain  and  spent  his  strength  for  nought ;  and  ask  the 
question,  Who  hath  believed  our  report?  But  his  words  are 
remembered  by  others  when  they  are  forgotten  by  himself, 
and  will  influence  the  life  and  actions  of  many  when  his 
tongue  lies  silent  in  the  grave. 

"  It  was  my  happy  lot  in  my  younger  days  to  sit  under 
the  instructions  of  the  Rev-  George  Junkin  in  the  early 
years  of  his  ministry, — and  though  fifty  years  have  glided 
away  since  the  time  I  first  heard  him  preach,  and  more 
than  forty  since  I  last  heard  his  voice  in  the  pulpit,  I  know 
not  that  a  single  day  of  all  this  period  has  passed  in  which 
some  of  the  words  he  uttered  have  not  risen  in  my  remem- 
brance ;  or  that  a  single  Sabbath  has  passed  when  I  have 
not  found  myself  influenced  by  the  instructions  I  received 
from  his  lips. 

"  He  had  a  mind  of  peculiar  construction.  His  thoughts 
were  profound  and  penetrating.  His  manner  of  elucidating 
and  presenting  divine  truth  was  different  from  that  of  all 
men  to  whom  I  have  ever  listened.  It  was  the  testimony 
of  most  persons,  that  their  memories  could  retain  more  of 
his  discourses  than  of  any  other  minister.  His  voice  was 
peculiarly  adapted  to  impress  his  thoughts.  The  Rev. 
Richard  Armstrong,  long  a  faithful  and  successful  mis- 
sionary in  the  Sandwich  Isles,  related  to  me  that  while  a 
thoughtless  boy  he  once  heard  Mr.  Junkin  repeat  the 
words,  'And  they  crucified  Him,'  in  such  tones,  that  for  a 
whole  week  they  seemed  to  be  sounding  in  his  ears. 

"  He  took  unusual  pains  in  showing  the  connection  of 


I22  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

his  text  with  the  context,  in  defining  the  meaning  of  the 
words,  and  in  pointing  out  the  different  shades  of  meaning 
in  the  original, — and  often,  when  preaching  from  the  Old 
Testament,  in  comparing  it  with  the  Septuagint.  This,  to 
some,  seemed  unnecessary,  but  he  was  at  that  time,  though 
unconsciously  to  himself,  preparing  the  minds  of  a  number 
of  his  younger  hearers,  not  only  to  think,  but  to  labor  with 
success  in  the  vineyard  of  their  Divine  Master. 

"When  he  had  thus  prepared  the  field  before  him,  his 
presentation  of  doctrinal  truth  was  overwhelming.  He 
dwelt  more  than  most  ministers  I  have  heard  on  the  sov- 
ereignty of  God,  and  the  peculiar  doctrines  of  grace.  He 
dwelt  much  upon  the  electing  love  of  God.  This  excited 
great  opposition  in  the  minds  of  those  who  were  inclined 
to  Arminian  sentiments.  I  once  saw  him  publicly  and 
rudely  assailed,  as  being  guilty  of  inconsistency,  when  he 
had,  at  a  funeral,  held  out  in  glowing  terms  the  freeness 
of  salvation  to  all  who  were  willing  to  receive  it  as  offered 
in  the  gospel.  The  objector  told  him  that  the  doctrine  he 
preached  in  the  pulpit,  viz.,  Calvinism,  was  the  most  dan- 
gerous in  the  world.  He  replied  by  simply  requesting 
him  to  compare  the  lives  of  his  congregation  with  the  lives 
of  those  who  preached  a  different  doctrine. 

"The  conclusion  of  his  discourses  was  of  the  most  ani- 
mating and  moving  character.  I  once  heard  a  clergyman 
of  great  learning  and  judgment  say,  that  he  coveted  nothing 
more  than  to  be  able  to  '  sum  up'  his  discourses  as  did  Mr. 
Junkin.  'For  my  own  part,'  said  he,  'I  expend  my 
strength  and  feelings  before  I  come  to  the  close, — but  Mr. 
J.  reserves  his  to  the  last  charge.'  This  is  a  most  im- 
portant point  in  the  delivery  of  sermons.  Many,  after 
preaching  good  discourses,  close  by  some  scattering  and 
pointless  remarks,  which  leave  the  minds  of  their  hearers 
unimpressed.  Jonathan  Edwards  is  said  to  have  labored 
more  in  the  preparation  of  his  'application,'  than  on  any 
other  part  of  his  discourses.  A  convincing  application  is 
like  having  the  last  speech  in  a  great  debate.  Of  the  cele- 
brated Dr.  Ryland  it  is  said,  that  it  was  customary  for 
the  good  old  ladies  of  his  congregation,  at  the  close  of  his 
discourses,  to  whisper  to  each  other  through  their  tears, — 
'  Well,  of  all  Mr.  Ryland's  sermons,  this  was  the  best.' 

"Mr.  Junkin  was  connected  with  the  Associate  Reformed 


REMINISCENCES    OF  A    PIONEER. 


123 


Church  when  I  first  knew  him,  but  he  shortly  after  became 
a  member  of  the  Northumberland  Presbytery.  Like  most 
other  men  of  superior  talents  and  decided  character,  he 
had  bitter  enemies  and  warm  friends.  He  never  counted 
the  cost  in  reproving  sin.  His  enemies  hated  him  with  a 
cordial  hatred,  and  his  friends  would  have  laid  down  their 
lives  for  his  sake.  But  what  may  seem  strange,  there  were 
some  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry  who  always  treated 
him  with  marked  coolness.  But  this  surprise  will  vanish 
when  we  call  to  mind,  that  even  among  the  disciples  there 
was  a  strife,  as  to  which  of  them  should  be  the  greatest. 
Men  do  not  become  angels  on  earth.  It  is  not  uncommon, 
however  deplorable,  for  good  men  to  envy  others  of  superior 
talents.  I  never  could  perceive  any  evidence  of  unhallowed 
ambition  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Junkin. 

"  Every  one  who  has  entered  the  ministry  from  proper 
motives  will  agree  that  the  hour  of  his  ordination  to  the 
sacred  office  was  to  him  the  most  solemn  and  impressive 
of  his  life.  In  view  of  it  he  has  often  doubted.  He  has 
toiled  and  wept  and  prayed,  perhaps  for  years.  The  hour 
has  now  come  when  he  is  about  to  receive  his  commission 
as  an  ambassador  from  the  King  of  kings.  He  feels  his 
own  weakness  and  nothingness,  and  asks,  Who  is  sufficient 
for  these  things?  My  thoughts  now  run  far  back  to  that 
solemn  hour.  I  almost  realize  myself  standing  before  a 
large  and  silent  assembly,  congregated  in  an  old  edifice,  on 
the  East  Branch  of  the  lovely  Susquehanna, — a  river  not 
unknown  to  song, — for  the  place  where  I  stood  was  not  far 
below  the  village  of  Wyoming,  which  Campbell  has  ren- 
dered immortal  by  the  story  of  its  Gertrude.  Before  me 
rose  the  grave  aspect  of  Mr.  Junkin  to  deliver  to  me  the 
charge. 

"There  were  times  when  his  vivid  and  poetic  imagina- 
tion carried  him  beyond  his  ordinary  performances.  This 
was  one  of  those  times.  After  alluding  to  the  distance  and 
unknown  character  of  the  region  to  which  I  was  about  to 
be  ordained  as  an  evangelist,  he  represented  me  as  about 
to  enter  one  of  the  dens  of  the  Prince  of  Darkness,  where' 
I  must  contend  with  him  alone.  Then,  suddenly  passing 
from  the  scenes  of  time,  he  painted  the  coming  of  the  Son 
of  man ;  the  myriads  of  all  ages  ascending  from  the  land 
and  from  the  sea  to  meet  Him  in  the  air ;  the  separation 


I24  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

of  the  righteous  from  the  wicked ;  the  joyful  meeting  of 
faithful  ministers  with  those  whom  they  have  instrumentally 
saved  and  prepared  for  that  day.  He  then  graphically  and ' 
awfully  represented  Apollyon,  the  great  destroyer,  as 
dragged  before  the  tribunal  of  the  Judge  to  hear  his  final 
doom.  'And  you,'  said  he,  'must  be  able  in  that  day  to 
point  to  many  a  scar  inflicted  on  his  front  by  your  right 
hand.'  The  imagery  I  cannot  pretend  to  describe,  but  the 
impression  will  leave  me,  if  ever,  only  in  my  dying  hour.  It 
followed  me  in  my  long  journey.  It  has  animated  me  a 
thousand  times  in  my  trials,  when  I  have  imagined  myself 
engaged  almost  personally  and  literally  in  the  figurative 
conflict  described  in  a  period  long  past. 

"How  blessed  is  the  memory  of  the  righteous  !  What  a 
reward  of  grace  awaits  some  persons  !  How  glorious  must 
be  their  entrance  upon  it  ! 

"  I  was  anxious  to  know  something  of  the  last  hours  of 
Dr.  Junkin.  His  gifted  daughter  writes  me  that  his  last 
words  were,  '  Saviour,'  '  Heaven.'  How  suggestive  of  the 
laborious  past,  and  the  blissful  future  ! 

"  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  let  my  last 
end  be  like  his  ! 

"As  swells  abroad  the  last  trump's  sound, 
Let  me  be  found  where  he  is  found  ; 
As  sinks  beneath  my  foot  the  land, 
Let  me  but  stand  where  he  doth  stand !" 

Central  Presbyterian. 

******* 

The  enemies,  who  the  above  writer  says  hated  him  with 
a  cordial  hatred,  could  not  have  been  numerous,  and  con- 
sisted of  those  whose  sins  he  pungently  reproved,  and,  it 
may  be,  of  a  few  whom  he  had  worsted  in  argument,  or 
whose  "liquor  traffic"  was  interfered  with  by  his  temper- 
ance efforts.  None,  who  intimately  knew  the  man,  could 
cordially  hate  him,  for  the  purity  of  his  motives  and  of  his 
life  disarmed  hatred. 

A  characteristic  of  Mr.  Junkin's  piety  that  imparted  a 
peculiar  cast  to  his  ministry,  was  the  implicitness  of  his 
belief  "of  the  whole  word  of  God,"  and  the  confidence 


PROPHECY  AND  HISTORY. 


I25 


with  which  he  seemed  to  expect  the  fulfilment  of  every 
promise  and  every  prophecy.  He  "received  the  kingdom 
of  God  as  a  little  child,"  with  uncaviling  faith  ;  and  never 
seemed  to  doubt  what  was  recorded  of  God's  past  working, 
nor  what  was  predicted  of  His  future  operations.  He  took 
broad  and  comprehensive  views  of  Christ's  mediatorial 
kingdom,  and  considered  all  things  else  subservient  to  its 
interests.  Hence  he  studied  history,  and  noted  contem- 
porary providences,  in  the  light  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
especially  of  prophecy.  And  whilst  admitting  that  the  inter- 
pretation of  prophecy,  antecedent  to  its  fulfilment,  was  diffi- 
cult, and  to  be  attempted  with  modesty,  yet  he  believed  that 
"the  testimony  of  Jesus  is  the  spirit  of  prophecy,"  and  that 
it  was  a  duty  to  study  the  prophetic  writings  as  well  as  other 
portions  of  the  Scriptures.  Accordingly,  he  kept  his 
eye  steadily  upon  the  development  of  God's  providential 
scheme  in  the  progress  of  contemporary  history,  and  failed 
not  to  compare  history  in  its  un foldings  with  history  pre- 
script in  the  prophecies.  He  accordingly  bestowed  more 
attention  upon  the  subject  of  prophecy,  throughout  his 
entire  ministry,  than  is  usual  among  ministers  of  the  gospel. 

The  struggle  of  Greece  with  the  Ottoman  power,  which 
resulted  in  the  independence  of  the  former,  occasioned  the 
first  public  effort  of  this  kind.  The  decisive  battle  of 
Navarino,  in  which  the  fleets  of  England  and  France  almost 
annihilated  that  of  the  Turk,  aroused  his  mind  to  the  con- 
sideration of  those  prophecies  that,  as  he  supposed,  related 
to  "the  false  Prophet,"  and  to  the  downfall  of  the  Ottoman 
Empire.  He  published  a  series  of  essays  upon  this  subject 
in  1828-9,  and  the  subsequent  history  of  that  power  has 
gone  far  to  confirm  the  correctness  of  his  interpretations. 

Many  incidents  in  the  history  of  Mr.  Junkin's  ministra- 
tions at  Milton  might  be  recorded  illustrative  of  his  zeal, 
fervor,  fearlessness,  and  power  in  the  pulpit ;  but  it  would 
swell  this  narrative  beyond  convenient  dimensions.     One 


126  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

incident  is  so  vividly  impressed  upon  the  writer's  memory, 
and  on  the  memory  of  many  still  living,  that  it  comes  up 
with  the  freshness  of  a  present  reality.  It  was  a  sultry 
Sabbath  afternoon.  The  little  Shiloh  Church  was  full  of 
hearers.  Mr.  Junkin  was  in  the  pulpit.  His  theme  was 
the  judgment  to  come.  Suddenly  there  swept  down  from 
the  northwest  a  dark,  portentous  cloud,  which  came  rapidly 
careering  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind.  In  a  few  minutes 
it  burst  upon  the  town  with  the  violence  of  a  tornado.  So 
loud  was  the  thunder  and  the  howling  of  the  storm  that 
the  crash  of  a  huge  walnut-tree  that  was  blown  against  the 
church-building  was  scarcely  perceived.  The  voice  of  the 
speaker  was  soon  lost  in  the  voice  of  the  storm.  He 
paused,  but  remained  erect  in  the  pulpit,  calm  and  com- 
posed, and  apparently  engaged  in  silent  prayer.  Conster- 
nation sat  upon  every  countenance  in  the  assembly.  Sud- 
denly some  of  the  windows  gave  way,  and  the  storm  burst 
in ;  and  the  part  of  the  audience  that  occupied  the  north 
side  of  the  house  rushed — seemed  almost  to  be  swept — to 
the  other  side.  The  crush  of  the  edifice  seemed  inevitable  ; 
but  it  withstood  the  pressure,  and  the  storm  swept  past ; 
and  as  its  wail  died  in  the  distance,  there  was  a  solemn 
silence  in  the  church,  that  might  be  felt.  With  a  calm, 
steady,  solemn  voice,  and  an  impressiveness  of  manner 
corresponding  with  the  scene,  the  preacher  exclaimed,  "If 
such  be  the  tones  of  his  voice,  and  such  the  mere  lifting 
of  his  finger, — if  we  thus  quail  before  the  mere  whisper  of 
his  wrath,  oh  !  what  shall  be  its  tones  when  the  Archangel's 
trump  shall  peal !  What  the  exhibition  of  his  power  when 
his  arm  is  bared  for  final  vengeance !  What  our  terror, 
if  we  abide  the  storms  of  his  righteous  and  eternal  indig- 
nation !     Oh  !  fly  for  refuge  to  the  Ark  of  Salvation  !" 

The  effect  was  such,  for  the  moment  at  least,  as  is  rarely 
produced  upon  an  audience ;  and  with  a  prayer  and  the 
benediction  he  dismissed  them. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

At  Milton — Mr.  Kirkpatrick — Reformation  of  1828 — Mr.  Barber's  Mission 
and  Request — Action  of  the  Presbytery — Resolutions  concerning  Church 
Discipline  and  Sacraments — Wide-spread  Effect — Letters  on  Temperance 
— Remedies — In  the  General  Assembly — Elected  Principal  of  M.  L. 
Academy. 

ALLUSION  has  been  made  in  a  previous  chapter  to  the 
state  of  the  churches  in  the  region  of  the  Susque- 
hannas.  This  state  of  things  was  deplored  by  Mr.  Junkin, 
and  by  most  of  his  brethren  of  the  Presbytery,  as  well  as 
by  many  godly  laymen.  All  desired  a  revival  and  a  refor- 
mation of  existing  abuses;  but  previous  to  Mr.  J.'s  union 
with  the  Presbytery  there  was  no  one  who  seemed  willing 
to  breast  the  storm  of  popular  opposition  with  which,  it 
was  apprehended,  the  needed  reforms  would  be  met.  Nor 
was  it  to  be  expected  that  he  would  at  once  assume  a  posi- 
tion which  more  properly  belonged  to  the  older  members 
of  the  body.  A  newcomer  would  of  course  encounter 
more  odium  than  one  who  had  long  held  a  place  in  the 
Sanhedrim  of  the  district.  Whilst,  therefore,  he  was 
prompt  to  make  efforts  against  intemperance,  Sabbath- 
breaking,  and  profanity,  Mr.  J.  waited  a  little  while  for 
some  providential  opportunity  of  assailing  other  evils  that 
were  more  fully  within  the  church.  But  he  lost  no  time 
in  preparing  the  way  for  such  assault.  He  conversed  often 
with  his  brethren  upon  these  topics,  discussed  them  in  his 
own  pulpit,  and  wherever  else  opportunity  offered ;  and  in 
this  way  prepared  the  minds  of  others  to  co-operate  in 
needed  changes.  Nor  was  it  very  long  until,  in  God's 
providence,  an  occasion  was  offered  that  called  out  the 

(  127) 


128  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

action  he  desired.  This  occasion  shall  be  presently  men- 
tioned. 

It  ought  to  have  been  mentioned  that  Mr.  Junkin's 
intimate  friend  and  coadjutor  in  the  educational  work,  the 
Rev.  David  Kirkpatrick,  had  come  also  into  the  Presbytery 
of  Northumberland.  One  of  the  last  acts  of  the  Presby- 
tery of  Philadelphia  (A.  R.)  was  to  ordain  Mr.  Kirkpatrick, 
who  was  a  licentiate  before  leaving  Ireland,  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry  as  an  evangelist.  This  ordination  took  place 
in  Shiloh  Church,  Milton,  and  Mr.  K.  continued,  as  long  as 
he  resided  in  Milton,  to  supply  the  church  of  Mifflinburg, 
and  occasionally  others,  with  the  ministration  of  the  Word 
and  ordinances.  Mr.  K.  was  in  constant  intercourse  with 
Mr.  Junkin  ;  and  they  often  took  counsel  together  about 
the  interests  of  Zion.  The  eminent  Teacher  fully  coincided 
with  the  Pastor  in  his  views  of  church  discipline,  but  was 
not  blessed  with  that  firmness  of  nerve  that  fitted  him  for 
leadership.     He  was  always  a  faithful  auxiliary. 

The  occasion  which  opened  the  way  for  the  needed 
reform  in  regard  to  the  matter  of  the  sacraments  was  as 
follows  :  Mr.  Daniel  Barber,  a  licentiate  of  the  Presbytery, 
an  earnest  and  warm  preacher  of  the  gospel,  had  been 
laboring  in  a  missionary  field  upon  the  head-waters  of  the 
Susquehanna,  West  Branch.  The  woodsmen  and  lumber- 
men of  that  wild  region  had  rarely  heard  the  gospel ;  no 
churches  were  organized,  and  the  few  that  in  their  former 
homes  had  been  members  of  the  church,  had  mostly  lost 
sight  of  their  Christian  obligations,  and  differed  in  little 
from  the  people  of  the  world.  But  Mr.  Barber's  preach- 
ing produced  a  strong  impression.  Many  were  awakened 
to  a  sense  of  their  spiritual  need.  Conversions  took  place. 
Some  who  had  been  members  of  the  church  were  aroused 
to  the  remembrance  of  their  former  vows,  and  a  very  gen- 
eral wish  was  expressed  to  have  the  Lord's  Supper  admin- 
istered, and  to  have  the  children  baptized.     Mr.  Barber 


MR.  BARBER'S  MISSION. 


129 


labored  under  the  auspices  of  the  Northumberland  Mis- 
sionary Society,  but  made  his  reports  to  the  Presbytery 
under  whose  direction  this  society  was  conducted.  He 
laid  the  above  facts  before  the  Presbytery,  and,  in  view  of 
them,  he  was  ordained  as  an  evangelist.  He  then  asked  for 
instructions.  He  informed  the  Presbytery,  that  when  he 
should  return  to  Sinnemahoning,  with  the  full  powers  of  a 
Minister  of  the  gospel,  the  importunities  for  ordinances, 
which  had  beset  him  when  a  licentiate,  would  be  renewed, 
and  he  wished  to  know  whether  he  ought  to  baptize  all  the 
children  that  were  offered,  or  only  those,  one  or  both  of 
whose  parents  professed  faith  in  Jesus,  and  became  mem- 
bers of  the  church.  This  request  for  instructions  was  made 
just  after  the  ordination  solemnity  closed,  Nov.  21,  1827, 
and  just  as  the  Presbytery  was  about  adjourning.  As  there 
was  no  time  to  discuss  matters  of  such  grave  importance, 
the  subject  was  referred  to  a  committee,  of  which  Mr.  Jun- 
kin  was  made  chairman,  and  the  Presbytery  adjourned  to 
the  eleventh  day  of  January,  1828,  to  hear  and  act  upon 
the  report. 

Thus  called  by  an  unexpected  providence  to  the  very 
work  which  he  had  been  so  long  pondering,  Mr.  Junkin 
aimed  to  do  it  faithfully  and  thoroughly.  He  was  aware, 
that  the  attempt  to  promulgate  and  reduce  to  practice  in  the 
churches  the  principles  which  he  believed  to  be  accordant 
with  God's  word  and  the  standards  of  the  church,  would 
occasion  great  commotion,  and  encounter  much  opposi- 
tion. He  knew  that  the  laxity  in  the  practice  of  the 
churches  had  superinduced  loose  conceptions  of  the  sa- 
credness  and  of  the  obligations  of  the  Sacraments.  He 
knew  that  the  practice  of  administering  baptism  privately 
had  almost  caused  it  to  be  no  longer  esteemed  a  public 
ordinance  of  the  Lord's  house,  and  that  to  restrict  it  to 
the  children  of  parents,  one  or  both  of  whom  were  in  full 
communion  with  the  church,  would  be  resisted  by  all,  or 


130  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

nearly  all,  who  had  taken  advantage  of  the  loose  practice, 
and  possibly  by  many  of  his  brethren  who  had  yielded  to 
this  popular  demand.  And  he  knew  that  the  chief  odium 
populi  would  fall  upon  his  own  head.  But  where  prin- 
ciple and  what  he  believed  to  be  necessary  for  the  welfare 
of  the  church  were  involved,  he  never  faltered.  He,  in 
connection  with  the  committee,  prepared  an  elaborate 
report,  well  argued  out,  from  the  Scriptures  and  the 
standards,  and  not  only  meeting  the  points  raised  by  Mr. 
Barber's  request  for  instruction,  but  others  necessarily  and 
logically  connected  with  them. 

Meanwhile  the  idea  had  gone  forth  that  this  Committee 
would  propose  some  radical  reforms.  And  when  the  day 
for  the  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  came,  although  it  proved 
inclement,  the  church  in  which  they  met  (Penuel)  was 
crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity.  The  Presbytery,  too,  was 
full.  The  report  was  presented.  It  was  ably  and  prayer- 
fully discussed  for  the  space  of  two  full  days.  On  the 
second  day,  the  Presbytery,  and  a  large  assembly  of  the 
people,  continued  seven  hours,  without  recess  and  without 
commotion. 

"Before  the  vote  was  taken  upon  each  resolution,  and 
after  argument  upon  it  had  ceased,  the  Moderator  called 
upon  some  member  to  address  the  throne  of  grace  for  di- 
vine direction  in  the  special  vote  about  to  be  taken.  This 
gave  a  peculiar  solemnity  to  the  scene,  and,  as  all  thought, 
brought  the  blessing  of  God  upon  the  deliberations.  On 
no  other  ground  can  we  account  for  such  perfect  unanimity 
upon  subjects  upon  which  there  had  previously  prevailed 
considerable  diversity  in  practice." — Religious  Farmer. 

The  writer,  then  a  schoolboy,  was  present  at  this  meeting, 
and  well  remembers  the  profound  stillness  and  solemnity 
that  pervaded  it.  He  remembers  that  Mr.  Kirkpatrick, 
in  a  speech  of  deep  seriousness,  asked  the  Presbytery  to 
consider  the  momentous  results  of  adopting  such  a  paper. 


RESOLUTIONS   OF   THE   PRESBYTERY. 


I31 


He  said  it  would  strike  deep,  sweep  wide,  and  revolutionize 
the  practice  of  the  churches.  His  heart  and  conscience 
went  with  the  measure,  yet  he  could  not  but  apprehend 
serious  commotions  in  the  congregations.  "  It  will  cause," 
said  he,  "a  breaking  up  like  the  breaking  up  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna in  the  spring  freshet." 

The  resolutions  adopted  by  the  Presbytery  at  that  time 
were  seven  in  number,  and  each  was  sustained  in  the  report 
by  a  succinct  argument  drawn  from  Scripture,  the  Stand- 
ards, and  the  reason  of  the  case.  The  first  asserted  that 
in  the  judgment  of  the  Presbytery,  according  to  the  Word 
of  God  and  the  Standards  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  no 
parents  have  a  right  to  present  their  children  in  baptism 
but  those  who  (one  or  both)  make  a  credible  profession  of 
faith  in  Christ,  and  obedience  to  Him,  and  evidence  the 
same  by  obeying  his  dying  command.  The  second  de- 
clared the  opinion  that  Baptism  was  a  public  sealing  ordi- 
nance, and  not,  on  ordinary  occasions,  to  be  privately 
administered.  The  third,  expressed  chiefly  in  the  ener- 
getic language  of  Dr.  Mason,  declared  "  That  an  adult,  in 
order  to  his  right  reception  into  the  Christian  church, 
must  be  acquainted  with  the  leading  doctrines  of  grace, 
must  be  able  to  'give  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  within 
him,'  must  make  an  open  and  unequivocal  avowal  of  the 
Redeemer's  name,  and  must  be  reasonably  vigilant  in  the 
habitual  discharge  of  his  religious  and  moral  duty."  The 
fourth  asserted  that  the  "Form  of  Government"  and  the 
Bible  make  it  the  duty  and  exclusive  right  of  the  Church 
Session  to  examine  and  admit  persons  to  sealing  Ordinances. 
The  fifth  asserted  that  the  moral  turpitude  of  faithless  bap- 
tismal vows,  and  of  unhallowed  approach  to  the  Lord's 
table,  lay,  in  part,  at  the  door  of  every  member  of  a  Ses- 
sion that  admitted  improper  persons  to  these  ordinances, 
being  cognizant  of  the  facts.  The  sixth  claimed  that  Ses- 
sions ought  to  inquire  of  heads  of  families  directly,  whether 


132  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

family  worship  was  observed  or  not,  and  not  to  admit 
habitual  neglecters  of  it  to  sealing  ordinances.  And  the 
seventh  asserted  "That  a  sound  judgment,  familiar  ac- 
quaintance with  Scripture  doctrines,  piety,  and  prayer, 
with  capacity  to  rule,  are  indispensable  qualifications  for 
the  office  of  ruling  elder  ;  and,  where  these  cannot  be 
found,  that  people  are  not  ready  to  be  organized  into  a 
congregation." 

As  was  expected,  this  paper  occasioned  great  commotion 
throughout  the  churches,  not  only  within  the  bounds  of 
the  Presbytery,  but  beyond  them.  It  was  noticed  and 
commented  upon  in  the  religious  journals  of  the  day,  and 
occasioned  much  discussion  of  the  subjects  involved  in 
different  parts  of  the  church.  Some  favored  and  some 
gainsaid  the  action  of  the  Presbytery  of  Northumberland, 
yet  few  objections  were  made  to  the  truth  and  righteous- 
ness of  it,  objection  being  chiefly  raised  against  its  expedi- 
ency and  the  practicability  of  enforcing  it.  But  such  was 
the  intrinsic  reasonableness  of  the  measures,  and  so  con- 
clusive were  the  argumentative  parts  of  the  paper,  that 
there  was  far  less  objection  to  it  within  the  bounds  of  the 
Presbytery  than  had  been  apprehended.  It  led  thousands 
to  think  of  the  true  nature  and  uses  of  church  ordinances 
and  of  church  discipline,  and  the  members  of  Presbytery 
found  much  less  difficulty  in  applying  the  principles 
assumed  than  they  expected.  It  did  good.  It  elevated 
the  standard  of  church  membership  ;  it  did  much  to  restore 
the  ordinance  of  baptism  to  its  normal  position  and  uses ; 
it  erected  many  a  family  altar  where  none  had  been  before, 
and  restored  others  that  had  fallen  down ;  it  roused  the 
minds  of  the  people  to  consider  the  solemn  responsibilities 
involved  in  church  membership  ;  it  struck  an  effective  blow 
at  worldly  conformity  and  formalism  ;  it  strengthened  the 
hands  of  Pastors  and  Sessions,  in  denying  ordinances  to 
the  unworthy ;  it  thus  drew  a  broader  line  of  demarcation 


LETTERS   ON   TEMPERANCE. 


*33 


between  the  church  and  the  world,  made  the  church  purer, 
and  thus  more  efficient  for  good,  and  produced  many  inci- 
dental benefits. 

Whilst  Mr.  Junkin  was  the  author  of  this  paper,  and  bore 
a  chief  part  in  securing  its  adoption  and  promulgation 
from  every  pulpit  in  the  Presbytery,  having  also,  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  Presbytery,  published  it  in  his  periodical,  it 
is  due  to  truth  to  state,  that  nearly  all  the  members  of 
Presbytery  stood  up  to  the  work  with  brave  hearts  and 
strong  hands.  The  venerable  Patterson,  and  Painter,  and 
Smith,  and  Barber,  and  Kirkpatrick,  and  indeed  all,  ac- 
quiesced, and  most  were  forward  in  the  movement. 

Although  this  ecclesiastical  action  occurred  in  the  quiet 
domain  of  a  rural  Presbytery,  and  was  done  comparatively 
in  a  corner,  yet  was  its  influence  wide-spread,  and  it  is 
here  recorded  because  it  was  one  of  the  most  important 
events  of  Mr.  Junkin's  labors  in  that  region,  and  because 
it  proves  that  from  first  to  last  he  was  found  ready  to  toil 
and  sacrifice  his  personal  popularity  and  ease  for  what  he 
believed  to  make  for  the  purity,  peace,  and  prosperity  of 
Christ's  blood-bought  church.  Sound  doctrine,  faithful 
discipline,  and  earnest  Christian  effort  always  found  in  him 
a  zealous  and  unflinching  advocate. 

Allusion  has  been  made  to  Mr.  J.'s  early  temperance 
labors,  and  also  to  eight  letters  written  after  his  recovery 
from  the  only  serious  illness  of  his  life,  to  the  gifted  and 
noble  physician  whose  attentions  were  the  means,  under 
God,  of  his  recovery,  but  who  was  in  danger  from  the  con- 
vivial habits  of  the  times.  For  obvious  reasons,  the  name 
is  suppressed  ;  nor  is  it  proposed  to  print  these  letters,  al- 
though they  might  be  productive  of  much  good,  being 
adapted  to  all  similar  cases,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
personal  allusions.  But  it  is  proposed  to  give  a  single  ex- 
tract, with  a  view  of  showing  that  the  writer  of  these  letters 
was  then,  as  he  generally  has  been,  ahead  of  his  times  in 

12 


I34  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

regard  to  great  and  important  principles  and  measures  of 
reform.  After  reasoning  most  earnestly  and  logically  with 
his  friend,  with  a  view  to  bring  him  to  a  sense  of  the 
danger  of  his  course ;  after  bringing  arguments  from  the 
acknowledged  principles  of  medical  science,  from  the 
Bible,  from  history,  from  his  friend's  social  and  profes- 
sional position  and  interests,  from  the  sacred  circle  of 
domestic  endearments,  from  the  claims  of  honor,  religion, 
and  humanity,  from  Heaven,  Earth,  and  Hell,  he,  in  the 
sixth  and  seventh  letters,  suggests  remedies  for  the  terrible 
evil  against  which  he  sought  to  guard  the  gifted  and  ac- 
complished victim ;  and  these  remedies,  suggested  in  the 
infancy  of  the  temperance  movement,  are  such  as  the 
experience  and  the  advance  of  half  a  century  have  not 
yet  outstripped.     They  were, — 

"  i.  Every  morning  go  into  a  private  room,  read  a 
chapter  in  the  Bible,  and  bow  your  knees  to  the  Father 
of  Mercies,  and  ask  Him  to  break  off  your  fetters  and  set 
you  free.  This  is  the  most  important  direction  I  have  to 
give  ;  .  .  .  .  for  I  cannot  think  a  mere  human  resolve  will 
ever  effect  the  desired  change.  Look  at  the  history  of 
your  own  experience.  How  often  have  you  resolved  to 
avoid  the  peril,  and  in  what  have  your  resolves  issued  ?  In 
disappointment.  And  why?  Because  they  were  based  upon 
human  strength,  not  on  divine  power !  As  well  might 
King  Canute  say  to  the  ocean's  swelling  tide,  '  Hitherto, 
and  no  farther.'  So  long  as  you  depend  upon  your  own 
firmness  of  purpose,  you  will  fail.  So  long  as  you  seek  not 
divine  aid,  you  flatter  your  own  pride,  and  assume  that 

you  do  not  need  God's  guidance  and  help Be 

entreated,  then,  as  you  value  the  interests  dearest  to  your 
heart,  to  make  experiment  of  this  simple  remedy.  It  will 
cost  you  about  twenty  minutes  per  diem ;  and  it  may  save 
you  twenty  years  of  time,  twenty  thousand  dollars  in 
money,  and  secure  you  twenty  millions  of  ages  of  heavenly 
joys  in  eternity. 

"2.  Cultivate  the  endearments  of  the  domestic  hearth. 
No  man  ever  became  intemperate  in  company  of  a  wife  and 
children  whom  he  loved.      God  has  given  you  a  very  high 


REMEDIES  FOR  INTEMPERANCE. 


1 35 


degree  of  those  kindly  feelings  which  are  such  lovely  ele- 
ments in  the  character  of  the  husband  and  father.  Despise 
not  these  gifts.  Yield  to  the  charm  that  is  in  the  word 
home."     This  is  pressed  at  some  more  length. 

"3.  Study  general  science.  If  in  a  slack  time  of  busi- 
ness you  are  at  a  loss  for  employment  and  amusement,  and 
the  dulness  of  idleness  becomes  wearisome,  you  are  tempted 
to  seek  a  cure  in  company.  This  is  wrong ;  and  to  prevent 
this,  let  some  branch  of  general  science  be  always  before 
your  mind Thus  pleasant  and  profitable  employ- 
ment will  prevent  the  tedium  that  leads  to  evil  company. 

"4.  Abstain  from  visiting  public  houses  altogether." 
This  he  reasons  out  at  some  length. 

"5.  Shun  the  society  of  such  men  as  love  to  sit  in  the 
tavern.  Company — bad  company — is  the  curse  of  life. 
Shall  a  man  who  has  an  intelligent  wife  and  sweet  babes  at 
home, — shall  such  a  man  be  at  a  loss  for  company?  .... 
'But,  somehow,  you  have  got  entangled  with  certain  men, 
and  it  is  difficult  to  get  away.'  I  know  it.  I  know  that 
they  have  even  dragged  you  into  the  bar  by  main  force. 
But,  stop  !  let  us  not  blame  them  altogether.  Had  the 
house  been  on  fire,  and  had  they  then  attempted  to  drag 
you  into  the  flames,  would  they  have  succeeded  ?  "  I  have 
no  doubt  that  you  would  have  beaten  the  whole  of  them  to 
the  ground.  You  can,  if  you  will,  fight  your  way  out  from 
among  these  men. 

"6.  My  sixth  direction  is,  Court  the  society  of  serious 
people.  It  is  impossible  to  avoid  being  influenced  by  the 
company  we  keep.  All  the  reasoning  under  the  fifth  rule 
applies  here ;  and  therefore  I  pass  to  another. 

"  7.  Frequent  places  of  public  and  social  worship.  Here 
I  think  you  are  too  often  wanting  to  yourself;  and  here  a 
physician  lies  under  peculiar  temptation.  It  is  often  his 
duty  to  labor  in  his  profession  on  the  Sabbath.  This  work 
of  f/iercy,  if  he  be  not  greatly  on  his  guard,  will  diminish  in 
his  mind  a  sense  of  obligation  to  obey  the  Fourth  Com- 
mandment :  and  he  who  forms  a  habit  of  thinking  lightly 
of  any  part  of  God's  revealed  will,  is  very  liable  to  be  led 
on  to  similar  thoughts  about  other  parts.  The  question  is, 
therefore,  of  immense  importance, — How  shall  a  physician 
preserve  upon  his  mind  a  due  reverential  regard  for  the 
Sabbath-day?     I  answer, — 


136  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

"  ist.  Let  him,  when  called  upon,  satisfy  himself  that 
the  case  is  one  of  real  necessity,  and  not  one  of  those  that 
have  been  put  off  for  three  or  four  days,  in  order  to  save 
time,  by  sending  for  the  doctor  and  taking  medicine  on 
the  Sabbath. 

"  2d.  Let  him  either  never  charge  for  the  labors  of  the 
Sabbath,  or,  if  he  charge  the  rich,  let  him  give  the  fee  to 
the  poor  or  to  some  object  of  Christian  charity.  Then 
will  it  be  indeed  a  work  of  mercy.  This  was  Dr.  Rush's 
practice;  and  it  is  easy  to  see  how  it  will  aid  in  judging 
of  the  necessity  of  each  case.  The  contrary  custom  pre- 
sents to  the  mind  of  the  physician  a  moneyed  temptation  to 
labor  on  the  Lord's  day,  without  the  call  of  necessity  and 
mercy.  If  people  know  you  will  not  come  on  the  Sabbath 
unless  it  be  a  case  of  urgent  necessity,  they  will  send  for 
you  before  or  wait  till  after  that  holy  day  is  over.  Dr.  Rush 
made  it  a  rule  to  attend  at  least  once  every  Sabbath  at  3 
place  of  worship. 

"8.  Total  abstinence  from  everything  intoxi- 
cating. I  have  long  been  of  opinion,  and  so  have  you, 
and  so  have  all  reflecting  men,  that  for  a  man  of  intemperate 
habits  to  break  off  by  degrees,  using  it  moderately ,  is  an  im- 
possibility. The  laws  of  matter  and  of  mind  must  be  changed 
before  this  can  be.  I  had  been  of  the  opinion  that  total 
abstinence  from  ardent  spirits  might  suffice  ;  but  /  now 
doubt  it.  I  fear  the  constitution  that  has  been  accustomed 
to  artificial  stimulants  will  foster  the  appetite,  by  the  use 
of  any  of  the  milder  stimulants.  Even  fermented  drinks 
will  keep  alive  the  terrible  thirst  when  once  awakened ; 
and  that  fell  appetite  can  only  die  of  starvation.  It  will 
live  so  long  as  any  food  for  it  is  supplied.  Here,  then,  are 
the  remedies  which  I  prescribe.  They  commend  them- 
selves to  your  reason.  There  is  no  quackery ;  they  are 
infallible,"  etc. 

These  extracts,  particularly  the  last,  show  that  Mr.  Junkin 
was  years  ahead  of  his  times  in  the  philosophy,  the  theory, 
and  the  practical  measures  of  the  temperance  reformation. 
For,  ten  years  after  the  date  of  the  last  of  these  letters,  the 
writer  of  these  passages  was  pronounced  an  extremist,  for 
advocating  abstinence  from  wines  and  the  milder  drinks. 


PUBLIC  CONFIDENCE.  137 

The  reader  may  be  curious  to  know  whether  these  letters 
accomplished  the  object  for  which  they  were  written.  It  is 
not  known  that  they  did.  The  fact  of  their  having  been 
written  remained,  so  far  as  the  writer  is  informed,  a  secret 
between  their  author  and  his  wife,  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
recipient  on  the  other.  Although  a  member  of  Dr.  Jun- 
kin's  family  at  the  time  most  of  them  were  written,  the 
biographer  knew  nothing  of  them  until  he  found  the  copies 
among  his  deceased  brother's  papers.  The  eminent  phy- 
sician to  whom  they  were  addressed  did  not  seem,  at  the 
time,  to  have  fully  yielded  to  their  reasonings  and  remon- 
strances ;  but  we  are  happy  to  add  that  a  few  years  later  he 
resumed  his  manhood,  and,  by  God's  grace,  it  is  believed, 
became  an  exemplary  man  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church.  Whether  the  good  seed  sown  by  the  faithful 
pastor,  and  watered  with  his  tears  and  prayers,  had  any 
direct  influence  in  working  the  happy  change,  is  known 
only  to  God  and  to  the  physician  himself. 

Thus  in  the  humble  sphere  of  the  village  and  rural  Pas- 
tor and  Editor,  did  the  subject  of  this  memoir  employ  his 
time  and  talents  for  a  little  more  than  eleven  years,  ma- 
turing his  powers  for  a  wider  range  and  a  higher  sphere 
of  usefulness  in  the  years  to  follow.  His  reputation  as  a 
scholar,  a  thinker,  a  preacher,  a  debater,  and  a  writer,  had 
extended  far  beyond  the  region  of  his  immediate  labors. 
Many  precious  seasons  of  encouragement  in  his  work  had 
brightened  these  years  of  toil  and  trial.  Confidence  in  the 
purity  of  his  motives,  the  correctness  of  his  principles,  the 
integrity  of  his  life,  the  faithfulness  and  courage  of  his 
efforts,  and  the  general  wisdom  of  his  measures,  had  slowly 
but  steadily  grown  upon  the  public  mind.  Admiration  for 
his  talents,  and  love  to  his  person,  were  in  thousands  strong, 
in  many  enthusiastic.  And  whilst  some,  even  of  his  best 
friends,  thought  that  a  less  rigid  and  a  more  compromising 
line  of  policy  might  have  accomplished  as  much  good  and 


138  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE   JUNKIN. 

at  less  sacrifice  on  his  part,  yet  all  conceded  that  he  had 
not  passed,  indeed,  that  he  had  not  yet  reached  the  zenith 
of  his  popularity  and  usefulness,  when,  in  God's  providence, 
he  was  summoned  to  another  field  of  labor.  All  conceded, 
that  at  the  time  he  departed  from  Milton,  he  was  more 
admired,  trusted,  and  loved  than  at  any  previous  period  of 
his  sojourn  there.  For  that  departure  Providence  was  now 
preparing  the  way. 

Mr.  Junkin  had,  not  long  after  his  union  with  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Northumberland,  been  sent  by  that  Presbytery 
as  a  commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly  of  1826.  "  In 
this  body  I  felt  so  timid,  that  I  fairly  quivered  when  the 
Clerk,  in  reading  the  roll,  came  near  to  my  name.  I 
could  scarcely  speak  enough  to  say  'Here!'  "*  Strange, 
that  nerves  that  never  trembled  when  maintaining  the  right 
in  opposition  to  exasperated  sons  of  Belial,  should  "  quiver" 
when  surrounded  by  the  venerable  and  distinguished  minis- 
ters of  the  church  in  a  solemn  assembly. 

"At  this  time  the  semi-Pelagian  controversy  was  about 
rising  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  American  Educa- 
tion Society,  through  its  Presbyterian  branch,  was  liberally 
aiding  our  candidates.  Rev.  Wm.  T.  Hamilton,  as  its 
agent,  visited  Milton,  and  I  got  a  scholarship  subscribed 
in  my  church.  With  some  zeal  I  entered  into  the  plan, 
not  then  understanding,  in  all  its  complications,  the  whole 
bearing  of  the  scheme,  "f 

This  shows  his  readiness  to  co-operate  in  every  under- 
taking that  appeared  to  make  for  the  advancement  of  the 
cause  of  Christ.  He  afterwards  became  convinced  that 
this  society,  in  connection  with  the  Home  Missionary  So- 
ciety, with  which  he  also  had  co-operated,  being  external 
to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  yet  working  within  it,  exerted 
influences  unfavorable  to  its  purity  and  peace.  He  thought 
that  the  system  pursued  by  the  Education  Society  at  that 

*  Rem.  "f"  Rem. 


IN  THE    GENERAL   ASSEMBLY. 


l39 


time  of  taking  vouchers  of  indebtedness  from  its  benefici- 
aries, to  be  paid  after  they  entered  the  ministry,  tended  to 
e?tthral  the  young  men,  and  gave  this  Society  a  power  over 
them  which  destroyed  their  independence,  and  bound  them, 
not  so  much  by  ties  of  gratitude  as  by  pecuniary  obliga- 
tions, to  the  Society  to  which  these  notes  were  payable, 
and,  in  this  way,  gave  to  the  officers  of  the  Society  an 
undue  control  over  the  ministers  of  the  church  who  had 
been  aided  by  them.  But,  at  this  date,  the  questions  per- 
taining to  voluntary  associations  for  such  purposes,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  ecclesiastical  organization,  had  not  risen 
into  prominence,  and  Mr.  J.  was  active  in  co-operation 
with  both  these  Societies,  as  also  with  the  American  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions.  The  Milton  Missionary  Society, 
which  he  was  instrumental  in  organizing,  was  auxiliary  to 
the  latter,  and,  as  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  that  time  had 
no  general  missionary  organization,  he  did  what  he  could 
through  the  American  Board. 

In  1829  he  was  again  commissioned  to  the  General  As- 
sembly, and  the  next  year  also.  This  second  appointment 
was  made  by  his  brethren  both  as  a  token  of  their  confi- 
dence, and  to  facilitate  his  attendance  upon  the  ordination 
of  his  nephew,  the  (now)  Rev.  Dr.  John  M.  Dickey,  who 
was  ordained  pastor  of  the  church  of  New  Castle,  Delaware. 
In  both  these  last-mentioned  Assemblies  he  saw  indices  of 
the  rising  controversy,  in  which  he  was  afterwards  involved. 
There  had  appeared  in  the  first  General  Assembly  of  which  he 
was  a  member,  some  of  the  difficulties  growing  out  of  "  The 
Plan  of  Union"  of  1801.  A  Mr.  Bissell,  from  the  Presby- 
tery of  Rochester,  who  was  not  a  ruling  elder,  but  only  a 
"committeeman,"  appeared  as  a  commissioner,  and,  after 
some  opposition,  was  admitted  as  a  member  of  the  Assem- 
bly. Against  this  action  forty-two  members  protested.  A 
similar  case  had  occurred  in  1820,  and  continued  to  recur 
until  the  crisis  of  1837  was  brought  on. 


14o  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

"It  was  whilst  sitting  in  the  Assembly  of  1830  that 
Brother  Robert  Steel,  pastor  of  Abington,  came  to  me  and 
told  me  of  the  vacancy  that  had  just  occurred,  by  the  resig- 
nation of  Professor  Monteith,  in  the  presidency  of  the 
'  Manual  Labor  Academy  of  Pennsylvania'  at  Germantown, 
and  called  my  attention  to  it  as  a  field  of  very  promising 
labor.  Mr.  Steel  took  me  out  to  visit  the  Academy.  The 
whole  enterprise  was  so  nearly  what  I  had  previously  con- 
ceived as  a  mode  of  education,  that,  upon  my  friend's 
urgency,  I  consented  to  become  a  candidate,  convinced 
that  I  might  be  more  useful  in  bringing  into  the  ministry 
men  of  the  right  stamp,  and  thus  do  more  than  I  could  in 
my  pastoral  position.  There  was,  too,  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Academy,  a  fine  church,  and  a  small  nucleus  of  a  con- 
gregation, offering  a  pretty  good  field  of  labor.  The  elec- 
tion took  place,  and  in  due  time  I  was  informed  of  my 
having  been  appointed.  Even  then,  parties  had  been  so 
far  arrayed  in  Philadelphia,  that  some  members  of  the  Board 
objected  to  me  as  too  'Old  School;'  but  these  objections 
were  overruled."* 

He,  after  prayerful  and  careful  consideration  of  the  sub- 
ject, became  convinced  that  the  indications  of  God's  pro- 
vidence pointed  him  to  the  field  of  Education  as  the  one 
for  his  future  toils,  and,  with  him,  such  a  conviction  was 
the  immediate  precursor  of  action. 

*Rem. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

Mutual  Regrets  of  Parting — Farewell  Sermons — Removal  to  Germantown 
— Entrance  upon  Duty — State  of  the  Institution — Revived  Efficiency — 
Practical  Difficulties  of  Location — Contemplated  Removal. 

THE  tidings  that  Mr.  Junkin  had  been  invited  to  an- 
other field  of  labor  spread  rapidly  through  his  con- 
gregations, and  throughout  the  district  in  which  he  had 
been  so  long  prominent  and  so  much  beloved,  and  it  was  re- 
ceived with  unfeigned  sorrow.  To  a  man  of  his  deep  and 
sensitive  emotional  nature,  the  thought  of  such  a  change 
awakened  the  tenderest  feelings.  He  could  not,  without 
great  pain  to  his  natural  sensibilities,  tear  away  from  so 
many  dear  friends.  But  with  him,  though  a  man  of  strong 
feeling,  conscience  and  judgment  always  held  control.  He 
made  prompt  preparations  for  the  removal.  He  delivered 
farewell  discourses  in  each  of  his  congregations,  and  in 
several  of  the  places  where  he  had  preached  with  frequency. 
In  the  Valley  he  delivered  his  last  discourse  on  July  28th, 
and  at  Penuel  and  Shiloh,  August  8th,  1830.  These  were 
attended  by  crowds  of  people,  and  Bochim  was  the  proper 
name  for  each  occasion,  for  there  were  weepings  such  as 
had  never  before  been  known  on  a  like  occasion  in  that 
country.  Rev.  iii.  11  and  II.  Tim.  i.  13  were  the  subjects 
of  his  sermons:  "  Hold  that  fast  which  thou  hast,  that  no 
man  take  thy  crown."  "Hold  fast  the  form  of  sound 
words,  which  thou  hast  heard  of  me,"  etc.  And  those  who 
heard  them  said  that  he  had  surpassed  himself  in  strength 
and  tenderness. 

He  proceeded  immediately  to  Germantown,  and  entered 
upon  public  duty  there ;  for  on  the  next  Sabbath  after  his 

(MO 


l42  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

farewell  at  Milton  we  find  him  occupying  the  pulpit  at  the 
former  place. 

The  institution  over  which  he  was  now  called  to  preside 
had  been  inaugurated,  a  few  years  before,  by  some  philan- 
thropic gentlemen  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  and 
around  Philadelphia,  with  a  view  to  facilitate  the  educa- 
tion of  young  men  for  the  Christian  ministry.  Three 
principal  objects  were  aimed  at  in  its  plan.  First,  to  pre- 
serve the  health  of  students,  and  promote  bodily  develop- 
ment, by  regular  exercise  at  manual  labor  ;  secondly,  to 
enable  young  men  in  moderate  circumstances  to  defray  a 
part  of  the  expenses  of  their  education,  by  laboring  a  por- 
tion of  each  day  ;  and  thus,  thirdly,  to  encourage  a  greater 
number  to  seek  a  thorough  education,  especially  with  a 
view  to  increasing  the  ranks  of  the  Gospel  ministry. 

Mr.  Junkin,  as  we  have  seen,  had  already  attempted  the 
system,  upon  a  small  scale,  at  his  home  in  Milton,  and  his 
heart  was  already  in  the  scheme.  He  was  also  peculiarly 
qualified  for  the  station,  not  merely  by  the  force  of  his 
talents  and  the  maturity  of  his  scholarship  and  aptness  to 
teach,  but  also  by  his  power  of  systematic  organizing,  and 
by  a  wonderful,  almost  instinctive,  skill  in  mechanics  and 
agriculture.  Of  these  last  he  had  practical  knowledge,  un- 
usual in  an  educated  man.  He  entered  upon  his  educa- 
tional career  with  energy  and  enthusiasm.  The  institution, 
which  had  been  for  some  time  in  a  languishing  condition, 
began  to  revive.  Students  flocked  to  it,  until  no  more 
could  be  received  for  want  of  accommodations.  Many 
young  men  from  the  region  of  the  Susquehanna  followed 
him  to  Germantown,  attracted  by  their  love  to  his  person 
and  confidence  in  his  ability.  But  the  institution  was 
without  funds.  A  debt  rested  upon  the  real  estate  that 
had  been  purchased  for  its  accommodation,  and  Mr. 
Junkin  soon  found,  that  unless  he  advanced  funds  out  of 
his  private  fortune  to  purchase  materials  for  the  farm  and 


REVIVED   EFFICIENCY.  1 43 

the  workshops,  as  well  as  some  needed  appliances  of  edu- 
cation, the  enterprise  would  not  succeed.  The  novelty  of 
the  undertaking  had  somewhat  worn  off,  under  the  admin- 
istration of  his  predecessors.  A  measure  of  apathy  had  in- 
vaded the  Board  of  Trustees,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
of  the  Ministers ;  and  Mr.  J.  soon  discovered,  that  the  en- 
tire responsibility  of  carrying  forward  the  undertaking  was 
devolved  upon  himself.  He  had  to  employ  professors,  and 
meet  all  pecuniary  claims,  upon  his  own  responsibility,  with 
little  co-operation  from  those  who  had,  with  apparent  zeal 
for  the  cause,  called  him  from  his  pastorate  to  these  toils 
and  responsibilities.  But  he  was  not  a  man  to  become 
soon  discouraged.  His  heart  and  hands  were  both  in  the 
work,  and  it  went  forward.  In  the  twenty  months  of  his 
administration  the  school  continued  to  flourish,  and  many 
young  men,  who  have  since  made  their  mark  in  the  learned 
professions,  and  in  the  councils  of  States  and  the  nation, 
obtained  part  of  their  education  in  this  school.  It  assumed, 
indeed,  very  much  the  character  of  a  College,  with  its 
literary  societies,  and  other  stimulants  and  aids  to  improve- 
ment. That  eminent  scholar,  philosopher,  and  educator 
Charles  F.  McCay,  afterwards  LL.D.,  and  Professor  of 
Natural  Philosophy  in  the  University  of  Georgia,  and 
President  of  the  College  of  South  Carolina,  was  his  very 
efficient  coadjutor  in  the  instruction.  Mr.  J.'s  brother, 
the  writer  of  these  pages,  was  for  a  time  teacher  in  lan- 
guages, and  others,  with  these,  gave  efficiency  to  the  in- 
struction. 

But  a  year's  experiment  convinced  the  Principal,  that 
Germantown  was  not  a  proper  location  for  the  Academy. 
The  staples  of  subsistence  were  as  costly  as  in  the  City, 
whilst  the  material  for  the  workshops  had  to  be  purchased 
at  city  prices,  brought  out  over  a  turnpike  at  great  cost  of 
transportation,  under  heavy  tolls,  and  then  the  manufac- 
tures returned  at  similar  cost  to  the  City,  to  compete  in  the 


144  LIFE   0F  DR-  GE0RGE   JUNKIN. 

market  with  the  products  of  city  workmen,  subject  to  none 
of  these  charges.  Boxes  and  trunks,  in  which  to  pack 
goods  for  shipment,  were  the  articles  principally  manufac- 
tured in  the  shops  of  the  school,  and  the  students  could 
not,  with  such  odds  against  them,  compete  with  the  city 
workmen.  But,  as  they  were  paid  a  stipulated  price  per 
hour  for  their  labor,  the  losses  fell  upon  the  institution,  i.e. 
upon  the  Principal. 

These  difficulties  were  laid  before  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
who  readily  appreciated  them;  and  it  was  resolved  to  re- 
move the  Academy  to  a  more  favorable  location.  A  site 
on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware,  above  the  City,  where  the 
advantage  of  water  transportation  could  be  obtained,  was 
selected,  and  steps  began  to  be  taken  for  the  removal.  But 
of  course  the  property  at  Germantown  must  be  sold,  the 
new  premises  purchased,  and  buildings  erected.  These 
measures  required  time.  Meanwhile  the  institution  went 
vigorously  on.  But  events  were  providentially  evolving 
that  gave  a  different  direction  to  the  future  of  Mr.  Junkin, 
and  of  the  Academy.     These  must  be  now  narrated. 

In  a  future  chapter  it  will  be  necessary  to  detail  the  gradual 
rise  of  that  controversy  which  resulted,  in  1838,  in  the 
disruption  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Symptoms  of  that 
great  struggle  began  to  show  themselves  in  1820,  before 
Dr.  Junkin  became  a  member  of  the  body.  In  183 1  the 
parties,  which  had  long  been  forming  under  influences  here- 
after to  be  described,  stood  out  in  distinct  array.  The 
lines  had  been  partially  drawn  the  preceding  year ;  but  in 
1831  it  was  made  a  question  in  the  election  of  Moderator, 
the  choice  falling  upon  Dr.  Beman,  of  Troy,  a  man  identi- 
fied with  the  intenser  type  of  the  new  Theology,  and  with 
the  movements  of  the  Voluntary  Societies,  who  proposed  to 
conduct  the  educational  and  missionary  work  of  the  church. 
And  although  no  very  decided  step  was  taken  by  the 
majority  of  that   year,  it  being  quite  small,  its  decisions 


OPPOSITION  TO   MR.  BARNES. 


M5 


and  protests  called  out  no  little  feeling ;  and  nearly  every- 
body took  sides.  It  was  not  to  be  expected,  that  a  minis- 
ter of  Mr.  Junkin's  decided  character  and  pronounced 
Presbyterianism  could  remain  neutral.  He  of  course  sided 
with  the  "Old  School;"  and  events  soon  occurred  in  his 
own  Presbytery  (Philadelphia, — for  he  had  become  a  mem- 
ber of  it  in  the  fall  of  1830),  which  not  only  precluded 
the  possibility  of  his  remaining  neutral,  but  also,  in  con- 
nection with  other  providences,  led  him  to  make  that 
change  in  the  field  of  his  labors  which  resulted  in  the 
founding  of  Lafayette  College. 

In  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Academy  were  some 
men  of  New  England  origin,  who  naturally  sympathized 
with  the  "New  School"  party  in  the  church.  Added  to 
these  were  some  who  sympathized  with  Mr.  Barnes  in 
his  troubles  with  the  Presbytery  and  Synod  of  Philadelphia 
and  in  the  General  Assembly.  That  gentleman  had 
preached  and  published  at  Morristown,  N.  J.,  where  he  was 
pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  place,  a 
sermon  entitled  "The  Way  of  Salvation."  Shortly  after 
this,  and  chiefly  upon  the  merits  of  this  sermon,  Mr. 
Barnes  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Philadelphia.  When  the  call  was  presented  to 
the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  and  leave  asked  by  the 
congregation  to  prosecute  it,  opposition  was  made  to  grant- 
ing leave  on  account  of  the  errors  in  doctrine  alleged  to  be 
contained  in  that  discourse,  and  on  account  of  the  fact, 
that  Mr.  Barnes  had  never  preached  before  the  congrega- 
tion that  called  him.  The  church  which  had  called  Mr. 
Barnes  was  large  and  influential  with  the  Presbytery,  and 
a  majority  voted  to  grant  leave  to  prosecute  the  call. 

Shortly  after  this  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  pro  re  nata 
was  called  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  Mr.  Barnes,  and, 
if  the  way  should  be  clear,  taking  steps  for  his  installation. 
At  this  meeting,  after  reading  the  minutes  of  the  previous 

1  ; 


146  LIFE    OF  DR.    GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

meeting  relating  to  his  case,  it  was  moved  that  he  be  re- 
ceived ;  and,  after  some  discussion,  Dr.  Ely  moved  that  this 
motion  be  postponed  "in  order  that  before  deciding  it  any 
member  of  the  Presbytery,  who  may  deem  it  necessary, 
may  ask  of  Mr.  Barnes  such  explanations  of  his  doctrinal 
views  as  may  be  deemed  necessary."  This  motion  was 
lost  (18  to  20),  and  Mr.  Barnes  was  received  as  a  member 
of  Presbytery.  Charges  were  then  formally  tabled  against 
Mr.  Barnes,  by  the  Rev.  Brogun  Hoff,  for  unsoundness  in 
the  faith,  as  a  bar  to  his  installation ;  but  the  Moderator, 
who  sympathized  with  the  majority,  decided  that  they  were 
out  of  order,  on  the  grounds  that  they  would  be  new  busi- 
ness at  a  pro  re  nata  meeting.  The  minority  contended 
that  it  was  pertinent  to  the  business  for  which  the  Presby- 
tery was  called,  and  belonged  to  the  question  of  the  way 
being  clear.  Dr.  Ely  appealed  from  this  decision,  but  the 
majority  sustained  the  decision,  and  installed  Mr.  Barnes 
on  the  25th  of  June  following.  These  events  took  place 
in  April,  1 830,  before  Mr.  Junkin  became  a  member  of  the 
Presbytery.  The  minority,  with  the  venerable  Dr.  Ashbel 
Green  at  their  head,  complained  of  these  proceedings  to 
the  Synod  of  Philadelphia.  The  Synod,  which  met  at 
Lancaster  in  the  following  October  (1830),  sustained  the 
complaint,  and  adopted  two  resolutions  explanatory  of  their 
decision,  and  mandatory  to  the  Presbytery, — 1st,  That  the 
Presbytery  gave  just  ground  of  complaint  in  not  allowing 
the  examination  of  Mr.  Barnes  in  view  of  his  published 
sermon;  and  2d,  Enjoining  the  Presbytery  "  to  hear  and 
decide  on  the  objections  to  the  orthodoxy  of  the  sermon 
of  Mr.  Barnes,  and  to  take  such  order  on  the  whole  sub- 
ject as  is  required  by  a  regard  to  the  purity  of  the  church 
and  its  acknowledged  doctrine  and  order."  (Minutes  of 
Synod,  p.  13;  also  Baird's  Digest,  p.  650.) 

Up  to  this  point,  Mr.  Junkin  had  taken  no  active  part  in 
this  unhappy  controversy ;  and  although  he  no  doubt  felt 


ILL-FEELING   IN  THE   PRESBYTERY.  147 

that  the  judgment  of  the  Synod  was  a  righteous  one,  he  had 
remained  quiet,  unwilling  needlessly  to  jeopard  the  in- 
terests of  the  institution  over  which  he  presided,  by  taking 
unnecessary  part  in  a  matter  upon  which  the  Trustees  of  it 
were  divided  in  opinion.  But  events  soon  forced  him, 
either  to  prove  recreant  to  his  convictions  of  right  and  of 
fair  dealing,  or  to  stand  in  defence  of  them. 

The  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  at  the  close  of  the 
Synod,  was  called  together  by  the  Moderator,  and  rather 
hastily  adjourned  to  meet  in  Philadelphia,  at  a  time  so 
soon  (twenty-five  hours)  after  the  rising  of  the  Synod  as  to 
make  it  almost  physically  impossible  for  all  the  members 
to  get  to  the  meeting,  unless  they  could  have  obtained 
seats  in  the  coaches  that  first  left  Lancaster.  This  the 
"Old  School"  members  did  not  succeed  in  doing,  as  did 
their  shrewder  brethren,  and  of  course  were  delayed  in 
getting  to  the  meeting.  Mr.  Junkin,  having  his  own  con- 
veyance, got  to  the  meeting  in  season,  still  not  suspecting 
that  the  majority  would  seriously  contemplate  taking  up 
the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes,  in  the  absence,  under  such  circum- 
stances, of  so  many  of  the  members.  And  when  the  effort 
was  made,  his  love  of  fair  dealing  compelled  him  to  resist 
it.  He  warned  and  besought  his  brethren  not  to  do  a 
thing  which  even  honorable  men  of  the  world  would  con- 
demn. He  and  a  few  others  continued  their  resistance 
until  the  delayed  brethren  arrived. 

Among  other  illustrations  which  he  employed  upon 
the  occasion,  was  that  such  a  procedure  would  prove,  like 
a  bucket  of  live  coals  thoughtlessly  placed  near  combustible 
material,  the  cause  of  a  conflagration  which  they  all  might 
deplore.  Baffled  by  the  man's  firmness,  there  was  some 
feeling  aroused  in  the  Presbytery  against  him ;  and  a  dis- 
tinguished elder  of  the  Presbytery,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Academy,  said,  with  some 
bitterness,    "Mr.  Junkin's  bucket  of  coals  may  make  his 


148  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

present  place  too  hot  for  him."  From  that  time  forth  it 
became  manifest,  that  he  could  not  expect  such  co-opera- 
tion of  the  entire  Board  as  assured  ultimate  success.  Still, 
as  there  was  no  overt  opposition,  he  continued  to  toil  on, 
and  the  institution  retained  its  prosperity,  although  at 
heavy  cost  to  its  Principal. 

During  the  time  of  his  residence  at  Germantown,  Mr. 
Junkin  preached  the  gospel  almost  every  Sabbath,  either 
in  that  place,  in  Philadelphia,  or  elsewhere.  He  main- 
tained a  Bible-class  in  the  Institution,  and  a  weekly  prayer- 
meeting  ;  and  was  ever  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand  in 
any  evangelical  effort.  Here,  as  in  his  former  charge,  his 
Bible-classes  were  schools  of  rich  instruction,  and  many  of 
his  pupils,  who  afterwards  entered  the  ministry,  have  said 
that  they  had  derived  from  his  Bible-class  instructions  a 
large  proportion  of  their  theological  knowledge.  In  Ger- 
mantown, as  in  his  previous  fields  of  labor,  he  won  many 
hearts,  and  his  departure  was  a  matter  of  sincere  and 
general  regret.  Part  of  the  time  of  his  sojourn  in  German- 
town,  the  venerable  and  lovely  Dr.  Wm.  Neill  was  the 
stated  supply  of  the  church,  and  the  intercourse  between 
him  and  Mr.  Junkin  was  of  the  most  fraternal  kind. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Elected  President  of  Lafayette  College — Visits  Easton — A  College  on  Paper 
that  ignored  God — Presidency  accepted — Removal  of  Pennsylvania  M.  L. 
Academy  as  to  its  entire  Personnel  to  Easton — Incidents — Manual  Labor 
System — Its  Advantages  and  Difficulties — His  Wonderful  Labors — His 
Theory  of  Education — Progress. 

DURING  the  winter  of  1832,  the  attention  of  Mr. 
Junkin  was  called  to  Lafayette  College,  Easton,  Pa., 
as  a  better  field  for  his  labors  in  the  cause  of  education 
than  the  one  he  was  then  occupying.  His  friend  and 
former  fellow-student,  the  Rev.  Robert  Steel  (the  late  Dr. 
Steel,  of  Abington),  was  the  instrument,  in  this  instance 
also,  of  his  removal.  When  on  a  visit  to  Easton,  Mr. 
Steel's  attention  was  directed  to  the  nascent  College  at 
that  place,  and  through  him  Mr.  Junkin  was  approached 
with  a  tender  of  the  presidency. 

The  College  as  yet  only  existed  on  paper.  A  charter  had 
been  obtained  in  1826  from  the  Legislature,  granting  to  a 
Board  of  Trustees  ample  franchises  for  a  college,  in  which 
military  instruction  and  discipline  were  to  be  combined 
with  the  usual  college  curriculum ;  and  repeated  efforts  had 
been  made  to  organize  and  set  it  in  operation.  But  one 
element  of  its  constitution,  as  proposed  by  the  leading 
persons  in  the  enterprise,  proved  fatal  to  their  earlier 
efforts, — they  avowed  the  intention  of  founding  a  college 
in  which  religion  should  have  no  place,  and  in  which  no 
Minister  of  the  Gospel  of  any  sect  should  hold  office.  The 
God  whom  they  proposed  to  ignore  thwarted  all  their 
efforts,  and  no  endowment  was  obtained,  no  lands  or 
buildings  procured,  and  no  professors  or  students. 

13*  (149) 


150  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKTN. 

In  process  of  time  some  of  the  very  men  who  proposed 
to  found  a  college  without  God  and  religion,  professed 
conversion,  and  became  the  friends  of  Christ;  and  then 
they  turned  to  a  Minister  of  Jesus  to  help  them  to  carry 
out  their  oft-defeated  enterprise.  Mr.  Junkin  was  elected 
President,  visited  the  place,  and  consented  to  accept 
upon  certain  conditions.  These  conditions  were,  that  the 
charter  should  be  so  modified  as  to  substitute  manual  labor 
instead  of  military  drill,  with  such  other  changes  as  would 
adapt  it  to  the  ends  of  a  manual  labor  college.  These 
modifications  of  the  charter  were  promptly  obtained  from 
the  Legislature,  then  in  session,  through  the  energetic 
efforts  of  the  President  of  the  Board,  the  Hon.  James 
Madison  Porter. 

A  farm  of  some  seventy  acres,  with  spacious  mansion 
and  other  buildings,  was  leased  for  the  temporary  accom- 
modation of  the  institution.  This  farm  lay  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  Lehigh,  adjoining  Easton,  near  to  the  site  now 
occupied  by  the  railroad  station.  Early  in  April,  1832, 
Mr.  Junkin,  having  previously  resigned  the  presidency  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Manual  Labor  Academy,  removed  to 
Easton  and  commenced  the  college  enterprise.  The  pro- 
fessors and  nearly  all  the  students  of  the  Academy  joined 
in  this  migration.  Prof.  McCay  had  been  appointed  to 
the  Chair  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy  in  the 
College  ;  and  James  I.  Kuhn,  Esq.,  was  soon  after  appointed 
to  the  Chair  of  Ancient  Languages. 

But  every  material  appliance  of  a  college  had  to  be 
created.  Temporary  recitation-rooms  and  shops  were 
erected,  and  in  a  short  time  affairs  assumed  the  state  of 
order  and  energy,  which  the  eye  and  the  hand  of  Mr. 
Junkin  always  evoked.  There  were  no  funds  for  the 
endowment  of  the  College,  and  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
having  no  property,  had,  as  a  Board,  no  credit.  The 
President  was  therefore  under  the  necessity  of  assuming,  as 


ESSAYS   ON  EDUCATION. 


J51 


in  his  former  field,  all  pecuniary  responsibility,  and  to  de- 
pend upon  the  income  of  the  institution  for  indemnity. 
Some  subscriptions  were  made  by  citizens  of  Easton  ;  but 
no  funds,  at  all  adequate  even  to  the  beginning  of  such  an 
enterprise,  had  been  provided. 

But  the  President  had  strong  faith  in  God  and  in  the 
value  and  importance  of  the  enterprise,  and  he  went  for- 
ward. Students  came  in  encouraging  numbers  ;  the  liter- 
ary societies  that  had  existed  in  the  Academy  at  German- 
town  resumed  and  continued  their  functions,  and  all  the 
arrangements  for  giving  thorough  instruction  were  in- 
creased. 

So  soon  as  the  institution  was  placed  in  working  order, 
so  that  his  presence  was  not  imperatively  necessary,  Mr. 
Junkin  entered  upon  the  arduous  and  self-denying  duty  of 
collecting  funds  for  erecting  a  college  edifice,  and  for  pro- 
viding other  necessary  appliances  of  education.  In  prose- 
cuting this  part  of  the  work,  he  travelled  extensively  and 
toiled  arduously,  in  visiting  churches  and  individuals.  He 
preached  and  made  addresses  frequently,  wrote  series  after 
series  of  articles  for  the  press,  explanatory  of  the  under- 
taking in  which  he  was  engaged,  and  performed  an  amount 
of  labor  that  seemed  impossible  for  the  powers  of  one  man  to 
accomplish.  Over  the  signature  "Fellenberg,"  he  published 
a  series  of  essays  on  education,  and  the  connection  of  study 
with  physical  culture,  by  means  of  manual  labor.  These 
were  marked  by  great  vigor  of  thought  and  style,  and  were 
extensively  read.  He  was  very  sanguine  in  the  hope,  that 
"the  health-preserving  labor  of  the  hands  would  defray 
the  expenses  of  education ;"  and  at  this  period,  the  system 
was  much  in  vogue  and  was  growing  in  popularity.  His 
writings  and  addresses  contributed  largely  to  increase  the 
public  confidence  in  the  system ;  and  not  only  those  stu- 
dents whose  slender  means  made  it  necessary,  but  even 
the  sons  of  the  wealthy,  resorted  to  this  and  similar  institu- 


ie2  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

tions,  in  order  to  avoid  that  prostration  of  the  physical 
frame  that  is  too  often  the  price  of  a  course  of  college 
study. 

Nor  did  Dr.  Junkin  ever  lose  confidence  in  the  system 
which  he  had  so  eloquently  advocated,  and  which  he  sac- 
rificed so  much  to  inaugurate.  He  continued  always  to 
believe  that  it  is  the  normal  mode  of  educating  human 
beings  ;  and,  whilst  he  was  not  blind  to  the  intrinsic,  as 
well  as  the  adventitious  difficulties  of  the  system,  he  never 
faltered  in  the  belief  that  those  difficulties  could  be  largely 
forestalled,  under  proper  organization  and  with  adequate 
means,  and  that  the  valuable  results  would  amply  repay 
the  hindrances  to  be  removed.  The  intrinsic  obstacles  lay 
in  the  difficulty  of  giving  employment  to  all  the  students, 
and  at  the  same  time  securing  regularity  in  study  and  reci- 
tations,— in  the  difficulty  of  passing  from  some  kinds  of 
labor  to  study  or  the  class-room,  of  securing  proper  alter- 
nations of  study  and  labor,  and  of  awarding  just  compen- 
sation for  labor,  so  that  the  lazy  and  unskilled  might  not 
be  rewarded  as  much  as  the  skilful  and  industrious. 

The  adventitious  difficulties  lay  in  the  prejudices  of 
society,  the  foolish  ideas  that  labor  is  degrading,  that  to 
ply  a  mechanic  or  agricultural  art  is  unworthy  the  gentle- 
man, and  that  the  student  ought  not  to  be  robust  and 
vigorous,  but  pale  and  effeminate.  Prejudices  against  in- 
terference with  the  business  of  workmen  in  the  regular 
trade  also  embarrass  an  institution  of  the  kind.  Trades- 
people look  with  jealousy  upon  any  efforts  at  production 
on  the  part  of-persons  whose  main  business  is  not  to  pro- 
duce. The  same  objections  that  are  raised  against  the  pro- 
ducts of  penitentiary  labor  are  started  against  the  products 
of  a  manual  labor  school  or  college,  and  it  is  difficult,  on 
this  account,  to  find  fair  and  ready  market  for  them. 

To  insure  the  success  of  this  system  over  all  these  diffi- 
culties and  against  all  these  prejudices,  would  have  required 


THEORY  OF  EDUCATION.  153 

at  least  as  large  an  endowment  as  is  deemed  requisite  to 
establish  a  college  upon  the  old  system,  and  would  have 
demanded  the  earnest  co-operation  of  a  Board  of  Trust,  a 
Faculty  with  their  hearts  in  the  work,  and  a  fair  measure 
of  public  confidence  in  the  system.  But  for  a  single  indi- 
vidual, with  but  a  limited  private  fortune,  without  any 
endowment  either  to  support  professors  or  to  provide  ap- 
pliances of  education  and  workshops,  tools  and  a  stock  of 
material  for  the  manual  labor  department,  it  was  an  under- 
taking requiring  strong  faith  and  indomitable  energy, — an 
undertaking,  the  success  of  which  could  hardly  be  expected 
upon  any  basis  of  ordinary  calculation.  But  Mr.  Junkin's 
whole  soul  was  intent  upon  the  work  of  education,  and 
especially  upon  the  work  of  raising  up  well-educated  and 
efficient  Ministers  of  the  Gospel.  His  idea  of  education 
was,  that  it  consisted  in  drawing  out  all  the  powers  of  the 
human  being,  physical,  mental,  and  spiritual,  developing 
these  powers  by  appropriate  exercise,  and  training  them  to 
appropriate  ends.  He  held  that,  in  order  to  normal  edu- 
cation, the  entire  human  trinity — body,  soul,  and  spirit — 
must  be  consentaneously  and  proportionately  developed ; 
and  that  if  either  of  the  parts  of  the  man — physical,  mental, 
or  moral — be  cultured  to  the  neglect  of  the  others,  it  will 
result  in  a  monstrous  development,  and  not  in  a  perfect 
man.  ''Mens  sana  in  corpore  sano,"  was  what  he  aimed 
to  produce  in  the  case  of  every  student  placed  under  his 
care ;  and  perhaps  no  educator  of  his  period  bestowed  so 
much  care  and  effort  to  secure  that  result.  And,  as  he  be- 
lieved that  useful  employment  —  exercise  with  a  valuable 
aim  and  with  palpable  and  useful  results — is  best  adapted 
to  physical  development  in  connection  with  mental  and 
moral  culture,  his  confidence  in  the  manual  labor  system 
was  never  shaken.  So  long  as  his  first  connection  with 
Lafayette  College  lasted,  he  maintained  that  system  in  the 
face  of  difficulties  that  would  have  appalled  any  other  man. 


IS4  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

And  had  he  possessed  the  means  of  giving  the  system  a 
fair  and  full  trial,  it  is  the  opinion  of  many  that  he  would 
have  demonstrated  its  value  and  practicability  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  the  public.  As  it  was,  it  never  failed  in  his 
hands.  But  its  success  in  his  hands  was  at  great  cost  of 
money  and  toil.  It  was  impossible  to  obtain  a  corps  of 
teachers  who  sympathized  in  the  system,  or  who  had  confi- 
dence in  it.  So  far  from  this,  his  professors,  whilst  men 
of  ability  and  scholarly  attainment  and  skill  as  instructors, 
had  been  educated  under  the  old  system,  and  thought  that 
a  college  must  be  just  the  copy  of  their  several  Almce 
Matres.  They  thought  that  the  hands  that  held  books 
ought  not  to  hold  tools,  that  it  was  more  dignified  to  exert 
the  muscles  in  hitting  a  ball  than  in  driving  a  nail,  in 
pitching  a  quoit  than  in  pushing  a  plane  or  a  handsaw, 
in  wielding  a  bat  than  in  handling  the  hoe.  And  with 
these  prejudices  in  the  minds  even  of  their  instructors, 
it  was  a  much  more  difficult  task  than  it  would  otherwise 
have  been  for  the  President  to  preserve  among  the  students 
a  proper  sentiment  in  regard  to  the  useful  system  of  gym- 
nastics that  he  sought  to  introduce.  And  when  to  this  we 
add  the  indifference  or  incredulity  of  the  public,  and  the 
natural  indolence  of  youth,  it  is  a  matter  of  wonder  that 
the  system  was  as  successful  as  it  was. 

When  Mr.  Junkin  was  translated  to  the  Miami  Univer- 
sity, the  manual  labor  system  gradually  fell  into  disuse  in 
Lafayette  College  ;  and,  upon  his  being  recalled  to  the 
presidency  of  the  latter,  four  years  afterward,  he  found  it 
so  far  lost  sight  of  that  it  was  only  restored  as  a  voluntary 
system, — i.e.  only  those  students  worked  who  desired  to 
do  it. 

No  mind,  unacquainted  with  the  detail  of  facts,  can 
form  any  adequate  conception  of  the  amount  of  care,  vexa- 
tion, wearing  responsibility,  mental  exertion,  and  bodily  toil 
involved  in  establishing  a  college,  even  upon  the.  ordinary 


MENTAL   EXERTION  AND   BODILY  TOIL. 


x55 


plan.  All  these  are  vastly  augmented  and  intensified  in  the 
case  of  a  manual  labor  college,  in  which,  to  the  toils  and 
cares  of  ordinary  administration,  are  added  the  solicitude 
and  labors  of  extensive  workshops,  farming  and  gardening 
operations,  the  laying  in  of  material,  the  superintendence 
of  labor,  the  keeping  separate  accounts  of  the  labor  of 
each  student,  the  sale  of  proceeds,  the  purchase  of  subsist- 
ence for  so  large  a  body  of  pupils,  the  control  of  boarding 
establishments,  and  many  other  cares;  all  of  which  devolved 
upon  the  President.  For,  although  he  appointed  business 
agents,  he  had  to  plan  for  the  whole,  superintend  the  whole, 
and  was  personally  and  pecuniarily  responsible  for  all.  Yet 
did  Mr.  Junkin  endure  it  all,  and  not  only  did  his  share  of 
the  teaching,  after  the  higher  college  classes  were  organ- 
ized, but  managed  the  whole  complicated  enterprise,  at 
home  and  abroad. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

The  Pennsylvania  Manual  Labor  Academy  the  Nucleus  of  Lafayette — 
Progress  of  the  Latter  Institution — Labors  in  the  Cause  of  General 
Education — Influence  upon  the  Legislature— Governor  Wolf — Thaddeus 
Stevens — Dr.  J.  one  of  the  Founders  of  the  Pennsylvania  System — Estab- 
lished the  First  Normal  School — College  Site  bought — Edifice  begun — 
Completed — Example — Mrs.  Junkin. 

THE  fact  that,  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  who 
were  ready  to  enter  the  higher  classes  in  college,  all 
the  students  of  the  institution  at  Germantown  followed  or 
accompanied  him  to  Easton,  attests  the  confidence  which 
they  and  their  parents  reposed  in  Dr.  Junkin  as  an  edu- 
cator. Indeed,  the  school  at  Germantown,  in  almost  its 
entire  personnel,  became  the  nucleus  of  Lafayette  College. 
Professor  McCay  continued  in  the  Department  of  Mathe- 
matics and  Philosophy,  and  Professor  Kuhn,  soon  after, 
entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  Chair  of  Languages.  Acces- 
sions to  the  ranks  of  the  students  came  in  numbers  beyond 
the  capacity  of  the  buildings  to  receive  them.  And  it 
ought  to  be  recorded  to  the  honor  of  the  noble  band  of 
youth  that  followed  Mr.  Junkin  to  this  new  scene  of  his 
toils,  that  they  zealously  co-operated  with  him  in  the  neces- 
sary efforts  to  get  the  institution  under  way  in  the  new 
locality,  and  cheerfully  submitted  to  the  inconvenience 
and  discomfort  occasioned  by  their  straitened  quarters  and 
by  the  lack  of  adaptation  of  the  buildings  to  the  pur- 
poses of  a  college.  With  their  own  hands  they  erected 
temporary  buildings  to  accommodate  the  increasing  num- 
bers of  students,  until  more  permanent  edifices  could  be 
erected. 

The  lands,  being  more  extensive  than  those  at  German- 
(156) 


LAFAYETTE    COLLEGE. 


J57 


town,  offered  more  scope  for  agricultural  labor  by  the  stu- 
dents. But  workshops  were  provided,  and  facilities  for 
mechanical  labor  were  offered,  whilst  the  regular  routine 
of  studies  was  effectively  kept  up.  By  the  Presbyterian 
portion  of  the  population  of  Easton  and  the  region  of 
which  it  is  the  centre,  and  by  a  goodly  number  of  the  other 
citizens,  the  College  was  warmly  welcomed.  But  by  others 
it  was  looked  upon  with  coldness,  and  by  some  with  aver- 
sion, and  for  a  time  it  had  to  struggle  against  adverse  influ- 
ences. In  the  end,  however,  it  won  its  way  to  the  confi- 
dence of  the  community,  and  became  one  of  its  cherished 
institutions. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  was,  at  the  time  of  Dr.  Junkin's 
advent,  and  for  a  considerable  time  after  (for  it  is  a  close 
corporation),  composed  of  a  great  variety  of  men,  of  di- 
verse positions  in  life,  and  of  various  religious  predilec- 
tions, a  few  of  whom  knew  something  of  colleges,  but  the 
great  majority  had  no  knowledge  of  the  necessities  and 
workings  of  such  institutions.  Of  course,  from  a  body 
thus  constituted,  the  President  could  not  expect  that  hearty 
and  intelligent  co-operation  which  would  have  been  afforded 
by  men  more  familiar  with  the  processes  of  higher  educa- 
tion. But  there  were  a  few  earnest  sympathizers  in  the 
enterprise,  both  in  and  out  of  the  Board,  who  deserve  the 
gratitude  of  the  friends  of  the  College.  Still,  the  burden 
rested  upon  the  President ;  and  if  the  detail  of  his  toils, 
trials,  and  sacrifices  in  the  founding  of  Lafayette  College 
should  be  here  recorded,  it  would  amaze  the  reader,  and 
he  would  wonder  how  any  one  man  could  endure  the 
amount  of  labor,  bodily  and  mental,  which  he  actually  per- 
formed ;  and,  much  more,  that  it  could  be  borne  in  con- 
nection with  such  heavy  anxieties  as  must  have  continually 
pressed  upon  his  mind  and  heart.  He  set  the  students  an 
example  not  only  of  diligence  in  study,  but  of  alacrity  in 
manual  labor.    He  very  often  put  to  his  hand,  in  the  quarry, 

14 


i58  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

in  the  workshop,  or  on  the  farm,  and  in  the  various  parts 
of  the  work  of  erecting  buildings,  fences,  and  the  nameless 
other  details  of  preparing  college  accommodations  and 
grounds.  The  students  would  work  but  a  few  hours  at  a 
time ;  the  writer  has  known  the  President  to  toil  whole 
days  at  a  time,  accomplishing  much  more  work  in  a  given 
period  than  the  most  expert  laborers  are  wont  to  do. 
"Whatsoever  his  hand  found  to  do,  he  did  it  with  his 
might,"  and  his  energetic  example  was  felt  throughout  the 
whole  institution. 

Nor  were  his  labors  confined  to  the  institution  itself.  He 
travelled  extensively  in  efforts  to  collect  funds,  to  awaken 
public  interest  in  the  enterprise,  and  to  induce  the  Legisla- 
ture of  the  Commonwealth  to  appropriate  pecuniary  aid. 
He  made  many  visits  to  the  State  Capital,  and  by  public 
addresses,  by  personal  interviews,  by  letters,  and  by  me- 
morials he  labored  to  awaken  an  interest  not  only  in  the 
particular  institution  which  he  represented,  but  in  the  cause 
of  general  education. 

Perhaps  no  citizen  of  the  Commonwealth  contributed 
more,  by  personal  labor  and  influence,  towards  the  inau- 
guration of  the  Public  School  System  of  Pennsylvania, 
than  did  Dr.  Junkin.  In  his  frequent  public  addresses, 
in  different  parts  of  the  State,  and  in  his  numerous  publi- 
cations, he  urged  upon  the  citizens  and  upon  the  Legis- 
lature the  necessity  of  ampler  facilities  for  the  universal 
education  of  the  people.  He  tried  to  arouse  the  natives 
of  the  State  to  a  sense  of  shame,  by  pointing  to  the  fact, 
that,  for  want  of  proper  systems  of  education,  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  Judges  and  other  prominent  public  func- 
tionaries of  the  State  were  natives  of  other  States.  He 
urged  his  broad  and  liberal  views  of  the  subject  upon  the 
committees  of  education  of  the  Legislature.  And  some 
of  the  ablest  reports  of  these  committees  were  framed 
chiefly  by  him,  during  the  years  1833  to  1837. 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL    SYSTEM. 


*59 


At  the  time  Dr.  Junkin  was  urging  this  great  interest 
upon  the  State  Legislature,  the  Hon.  George  Wolf  was 
Governor  of  the  Commonwealth.  He  was  a  citizen  of 
Easton  at  the  time  of  his  election,  and  a  Trustee  of  Lafa- 
yette College,  and  it  was  the  glory  of  his  administration, 
that  the  entire  weight  of  his  official  position  was  thrown 
in  favor  of  a  general  system  of  education.  With  him  Dr. 
Junkin  had  frequent  conferences  upon  the  subject,  and  to 
his  urgency  may,  in  some  degree,  be  attributed  the  zeal 
and  explicitness  with  which  that  excellent  chief  magistrate 
urged  the  subject  of  general  education  in  his  messages  to 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  State.  For  this  he  was  cen- 
sured by  many  of  his  own  party,  the  scheme  of  general 
education  by  State  aid  being  as  yet  far  from  popular.  It 
was  in  reply  to  some  of  these  animadversions,  that  the  late 
Hon.  Thaddeus  Stevens,  then  a  representative  from  Adams 
County  and  a  political  opponent  of  the  Governor,  delivered 
one  of  his  most  eloquent  speeches  in  advocacy  of  educa- 
tion, and  in  defence  of  the  Governor's  course  in  regard  to 
it.  In  this  speech  Mr.  Stevens  uttered  the  memorable 
words,  "  I  love  the  man  whose  banner  streams  in  light !" 

Dr.  Junkin  may  justly  be  classed  among  the  founders  of 
the  Public  School  System  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  not  a 
man  of  one  idea.  His  conceptions  of  the  great  theme  of 
human  education  were  too  broad  to  permit  him  to  confine 
his  efforts  to  the  one  enterprise  with  which  he  stood  con- 
nected, and  accordingly,  wherever  he  went,  in  his  agency 
for  the  College,  he  discoursed  on  education  in  all  its  inter- 
ests and  bearings.  He  unfolded  the  philosophy  of  educa- 
tion in  a  style  adapted  to  the  masses.  He  showed  the  con- 
nection between  the  college  or  university  and  all  schools 
of  inferior  grade,  and  inculcated  the  idea  that  all  should 
be  parts  of  one  grand  system,  so  connected  together  as  to 
be  co-operative  and  mutually  auxiliary  to  each  other  and 
the  whole.     Having  gathered  information  in  regard  to  the 


160  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

most  improved  modes  of  education,  both  in  Europe  and 
in  other  sections  of  our  own  country,  he  was  probably  in 
advance  of  any  other  native  Pennsylvanian  in  the  maturity 
of  his  opinions  upon  the  subject.  So  far  as  is  known  to 
the  writer,  he  was  the  first  to  insist  that  the  business  of 
teaching  should  be  raised  to  the  dignity  and  the  immuni- 
ties of  a  Profession.  He  was  the  first  to  advocate  the  es- 
tablishment of  normal  schools  for  the  training  of  teachers, 
and,  as  we  shall  see,  he  established,  at  his  own  cost,  the 
first  normal  school  in  the  Commonwealth.  In  his  applica- 
tions to  the  Legislature  for  aid,  he  was  subjected  to  frequent 
disappointments  and  delays.  His  brother-in-law,  Hon. 
Walter  Oliver,  the  representative  from  Mercer  County,  ex- 
erted all  his  influence  to  further  the  interests  of  Lafayette 
and  other  colleges.  Mr.  Stevens,  also,  was  forward  and 
earnest  in  the  good  work,  and  others  lent  a  helping  hand. 
Several  times  a  Bill  to  aid  Lafayette  and  other  colleges 
came  to  a  third  reading  by  hopeful  majorities,  and  then 
was  defeated.  These  failures  were  not  attributable  to  the 
opposition  of  the  members  who  voted  "nay"  to  the  cause 
of  education,  so  much  as  to  dread  of  their  constituents, 
for  in  most  of  the  counties  the  people  were  prejudiced 
against  aiding  colleges  by  State  bounty. 

Still  Dr.  Junkin  persevered,  amidst  all  discouragements, 
until  finally  a  law  was  passed  appropriating  to  Lafayette 
and  Pennsylvania  Colleges  a  few  thousand  dollars.  But 
previous  to  this,  encouraged  by  the  sums  which  the  Presi- 
dent had  collected  from  churches  and  individuals,  the 
Trustees  ventured,  in  the  winter  of  1833,  to  purchase  the 
land  upon  which  the  College,  now  stands,  and,  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  to  commence  the  erection  of  a  college 
edifice.  The  building  was  planned  by  the  President ;  and 
early  in  March,  1833,  m  tne  presence  of  some  of  the 
Trustees,  the  students,  and  a  few  of  the  citizens,  he,  with 
his  own  hands,  broke  ground  and  removed  the  first  spade- 


IN  A  UG  URA  TION.  !  6 1 

fuls  of  earth  from  the  site  of  the  foundation.  On  the  4th 
day  of  July  following,  attended  by  a  civic  and  military  pro- 
cession, assisted  by  the  Hon.  James  M.  Porter,  President 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  he  laid  the  corner-stone ;  and 
the  building  progressed  slowly  yet  steadily  towards  com- 
pletion, so  that  upon  the  last  of  March,  1834,  it  was  occu- 
pied by  the  Faculty  and  students. 

It  may  as  well  be  here  recorded,  that  a  little  more  than 
thirty-four  years  after  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the  main 
building,  he,  by  invitation,  laid  the  corner-stone  of  the 
eastern  extension  of  the  edifice,  at  a  time  when  the  enter- 
prise which  he  had  begun  in  faith,  more  than  thirty-five 
years  before,  had  attained  to  eminent  success,  and  Lafa- 
yette College  had  taken  rank  with  the  best  endowed  and 
the  best  manned  and  appointed  Universities  of  the  conti- 
nent. 

He  was  formally  inaugurated  President  of  the  College 
on  the  1st  of  May,  1834,  with  appropriate  formalities.  On 
this  occasion  prayer  was  offered  by  the  Rev.  Isaac  N. 
Candee,  then  of  Belvidere,  N.  J.  (now  Dr.  Candee,  of 
Illinois).  The  Hon.  James  M.  Porter,  President  of  the 
Board,  made  an  address  to  the  President  and  Professor 
Kuhn  who  was  installed  at  the  same  time,  performed  the 
inaugural  ceremony,  and  read  the  laws  of  the  institution. 
A  beautiful  ode,  adapted  to  the  occasion,  from  the  gifted 
pen  of  Mrs.  J.  L.  Gray,  was  sung.  Dr.  Junkin  delivered 
his  inaugural  address  on  the  topic,  "The  true  idea  of 
education,  and  especially  its  religious  element;"  and  the 
concluding  prayer  was  offered  by  Rev.  Mr.  Macklin.  Pro- 
fessor Kuhn  is  now,  187 1,  an  eminent  lawyer  in  Pittsburg. 

Whilst  the  building  was  in  progress,  the  exercises  of  the 
College,  mental  and  manual,  continued  upon  the  rented 
premises  already  mentioned.  Some  of  the  labor  upon  the 
new  site  was  performed  by  details  of  students,  in  working - 
hours.     But  on  account  of  the  distance,  and  the  fact  that 

14* 


1 62  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

most  of  the  work  was  done  by  contract,  this  labor  was 
limited  chiefly  to  the  excavation  of  the  site  and  the  level- 
ling of  the  grounds.  The  writer  has  often  seen  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  College,  at  the  head  of  a  band  of  noble  youth, 
who  were  not  ashamed  of  honest  toil,  quarrying  and  re- 
moving rocks,  and  walling  in  and  levelling  off  the  grounds 
of  the  new  College  ;  and  the  amazing  strength  and  mechan- 
ical skill  of  the  President  made  him  a  worthy  example  to 
his  more  youthful  co-laborers.  It  may  be  thought  that  it 
was  beneath  the  dignity  of  the  chief  of  a  literary  institution 
thus  to  toil  with  his  hands,  and  that  he  might  have  con- 
signed to  hired  laborers  such  work  as  he  thus  performed. 
But  if  it  be  remembered,  that  his  great  aim  was  to  found  an 
institution,  in  which  "  the  health-preserving  labor  of  the 
hands  should  defray  the  expenses  of  education,"  the  pro- 
priety of  his  example  will  be  confessed.  He  wished  to 
banish  from  the  minds  of  his  pupils  the  shallow  and  un- 
American  idea,  that  labor  is  dishonorable ;  and  he  aimed 
to  demonstrate  before  their  eyes,  that  manual  labor  and 
earnest  and  effective  study  were  not  incompatible.  And 
this  he  did.  For  at  the  very  time  he  was  thus  toiling  with 
his  hands,  he  imparted  instructions,  of  which  his  pupils 
speak  with  gratitude  and  admiration  to  this  day;  and  it 
was  during  this  period  of  toil  that  "  Fellenberg"  and  his 
valuable  work  on  Justification  were  written,  whilst  other 
labors,  presently  to  be  mentioned,  were  accomplished. 

It  would  be  impossible  for  any  one,  not  familiar  with 
the  details,  to  form  an  adequate  estimate  of  the  amount 
of  labor,  mental  and  bodily,  which,  during  these  years, 
Dr.  Junkin  performed.  Before  the  work  upon  the  college 
edifice  was  half  completed,  the  funds  began  to  fail;  and 
the  progress  of  the  work  depended  upon  his  success  in 
collecting  money.  This  called  for  an  extensive  and  labo- 
rious correspondence,  for  frequent  journeys,  for  much  toil 
in    speaking   and    canvassing,  and    for    frequent    appeals 


QUESTIONS   OF  DUTY.  163 

through  the  newspapers;  whilst  the  consciousness  of  the 
heavy  personal  responsibilities  which  he  incurred,  and  his 
solicitude  for  his  family  and  for  the  students,  when  away 
from  them,  rested  with  crushing  anxiety  upon  him.  Yet 
amid  it  all  he  was  calm,  cheerful,  persistent ;  and  when 
others  trembled  for  him,  and  despaired  of  the  enterprise, 
his  confidence  seemed  never  to  falter  !  If  the  reader  asks 
for  the  great  secret  of  this,  he  has  his  answer  in  a  single 
fact, — Dr.  Junkin  was  a  man  of  strong  faith  in  Christ 

AND  OF  MUCH  PRAYER  ! 

He  never  entered  upon  any  important  undertaking  with- 
out solemn  self-examination  and  earnest  prayer  to  God  for 
direction.  More  than  any  man  whom  the  writer  has  ever 
known,  his  constant  inquiry  was,  "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou 
have  me  to  do?"  And  he  aimed  maturely  to  consider 
every  question  of  duty,  begged  of  the  Lord  to  help  him  to 
scrutinize  his  own  motives ;  and  when  fairly  satisfied  that 
he  ought  to  enter  upon  a  given  enterprise,  he  dismissed 
doubt  and  hesitancy,  and  threw  all  his  heart  and  all  his 
powers  into  the  undertaking.  More  than  once  did  the 
writer  of  these  lines  join  with  others  in  the  endeavor  to 
persuade  Dr.  Junkin  to  abandon  the  college  enterprise,  to 
which  there  appeared  so  many  hindrances  and  discourage- 
ments, and  in  which  he  seemed  likely  to  sacrifice  his  entire 
substance.  He  would  listen  calmly  and  attentively  to  these 
reasonings,  seem  to  take  them  into  consideration,  and 
after  we  had  supposed  the  subject  to  be  dismissed  from 
his  mind,  he  would  recur  to  it,  and  give  his  reasons  for  the 
conviction  that  he  ought  to  persevere  in  his  efforts  to  es- 
tablish a  college.  On  one  occasion,  this  conviction  was 
expressed  in  the  words,  "Destroy  it  not,  for  a  blessing  is 
in  it!" 

In  this  conviction  his  faith  never  faltered.  And  even 
when  away  from  "lovely  Lafayette,"  as  he  was  fond  to  call 
it,  toiling  in  other  fields,  and  when  the  prospects  of  the 


1 64  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

College  were  darkest,  he  held  on  to  the  hope — the  belief, 
rather — that  the  College  would  surmount  her  difficulties, 
and,  by  God's  good  hand,  rise  above  the  opposition  of 
enemies  and  the  apathy  and  folly  of  false  friends,  and  prove 
a  great  blessing  to  the  church,  the  country,  and  the  world. 
"I  cannot  be  persuaded,"  wrote  he  to  his  brother,  "that 
an  institution  begun — as  I  believe  it  was — in  faith,  and 
founded  in  so  many  prayers  and  tears,  and  in  which  the 
Lord  led  me,  as  I  think,  to  expend  so  much  toil  and  sub- 
stance, is  to  prove  a  failure.  Lovely  Lafayette  will  yet 
flourish!"  Even  when  the  property  of  the  College  was 
advertised  to  be  sold  by  the  sheriff,  after  his  resignation 
of  the  presidency,  he  never  lost  confidence  in  its  ultimate 
success ;  and,  as  the  writer  believes,  never  ceased  to  pray 
for  its  success.  How  much  of  that  success  was  resultant 
from  his  faith,  his  prayers,  and  his  singular,  paternal  love 
f  jr  the  College,  is  only  known  to  Him  who  hears  the  prayers 
and  bottles  the  tears  of  his  devoted  servants. 

There  was  another  mind  and  another  heart  engaged  in 
praying,  toiling,  and  sacrificing  for  the  establishment  of 
Lafayette  College,  of  which  it  were  wrong  not  to  make 
mention  in  connection  with  the  name  of  its  founder.  All 
such  enterprises  have  a  secret  and  unobserved  as  well  as 
a  public  history.  And  whilst  the  influence  and  the  work 
of  woman  in  promoting  them  may  not  appear  in  "reports" 
and  "catalogues,"  nor  in  the  journals  of  the  day,  they  are 
often  not  only  very  great  but  sometimes  essential  to  suc- 
cess. In  all  his  plans,  toils  and  trials  in  founding  the 
College,  Dr.  Junkin  was  cheered,  consoled,  encouraged,  and 
aided  by  the  lovely  and  accomplished  woman  who  called 
him  husband.  Indeed,  it  was  mainly  her  means  that  en- 
abled him  to  assume  the  pecuniary  responsibilities  of  the 
position,  and  to  suffer  the  losses  incurred.  Of  gentle  and 
unassuming  yet  attractive  manners ;  of  unusually  sound 
judgment ;  patient,  hopeful  and  cheerful  under  trials  and 


MRS.  JUNKIN.  165 

discouragements;  in  full  sympathy  with  her  husband's  aims, 
and  zealous  in  promoting  them;  and,  withal,  a  woman  of 
strong  faith  in  God,  and  of  devout,  prayerful  habits, — she 
was  indeed  a  helpmeet  for  a  man  engaged  in  such  an  arduous 
work.  Her  letters  to  him,  during  his  frequent  absences 
from  home  collecting  funds  for  the  College,  disclose  the 
amount  of  care,  and  even  of  business,  that  sometimes 
devolved  upon  her.  Over  their  large  family  she  presided 
with  judicious  efficiency  in  his  absence;  and  not  only  so, 
but  the  business  agents  of  the  institution,  and  even  the 
Professors,  often  resorted  to  her  for  counsel  when  difficul- 
ties arose.  In  her  letters,  which  are  models  at  once  of 
wifely  affection  and  considerateness,  and  of  clearness  and 
fulness  of  business  detail,  she  kept  him  posted  in  regard  to 
the  condition  of  the  home  and  the  College.  And  whilst 
they  sometimes  betray  the  yearning  of  her  heart  for  his 
presence,  and  regret  at  the  necessity  of  separation,  yet  no 
murmur  escapes  that  might  sadden  his  heart  or  discourage 
him  in  his  work;  but,  on  the  contrary,  they  were  well 
adapted  to  cheer  and  sustain  him.  Accustomed  in  her 
girlhood  to  the  ease  and  the  elegant  comforts  of  a  wealthy 
home,  she  conformed  to  the  cares  and  sacrifices  incident  to 
her  position  with  a  Christian  cheerfulness  worthy  of  all 
praise  and  of  imitation. 

A  few  extracts  from  these  letters  may  disclose  at  once 
the  perplexities  and  cares  incident  to  such  an  enterprise  as 
her  husband  was  prosecuting,  and  the  spirit  with  which 
both  he  and  she  encountered  them  : 

"  Mount  Lafayette,  May  8th,  1835. 

"  My  dear  Husband, — You  have  by  this  time,  I  hope, 
reached  Pittsburg  in  safety,  and  perhaps  are  engaged  just 
now  in  writing  to  tell  me  so.  I  feel  a  good  deal  anxious 
to  hear  from  you,  especially  to  know  if  you  are  better  in 
health.  .  .  .  We  are  getting  along  as  well  as  we  can 
without  you,  but  miss  you  very  much.     Several  new  stu- 


1 66  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

dents  have  come,  but  few  of  the  old  ones  have  yet  arrived. 
Mr.  Kuhn  (Professor  of  Languages)  says  about  eighty  are 
now  here.  The  letters  which  come,  requesting  information, 
I  give  to  him  to  answer.  .  .  .  The  steaming  apparatus 
(for  culinary  and  laundry  purposes)  does  not  answer  very 
well.  It  requires  great  heat  to  make  it  boil,  and  Mr.  G. 
(the  business  superintendent)  thinks  there  is  too  large  a 
body  of  water,  and  too  little  surface  on  top,  to  generate 
steam  enough.  I  believe  he  is  trying  his  best  to  make  it 
work." 

"  May  1 8th. 

" .  .  .  College  affairs  move  on  very  well.  The 
students  have  been  very  orderly.  .  .  .  They  have  got 
the  steam  fixtures  to  work  finely,  and  the  cook  is  in  good 
spirits,  and  is  sorry  I  had  told  you  it  did  not  do  well,  fear- 
ing it  would  vex  you.  Mr.  Godown  (steward)  told  me  to 
tell  you  that  he  is  trying  to  divide  the  money  in  hand  as 
well  as  he  can,  to  meet  demands  on  the  college  expenses. 
He  went  to  Mr.  Porter  to  try  and  get  some  of  the 
State  money,  but  he  told  him  it  could  not  be  had  till  Mr. 
McKeen  returned.  ...  I  endeavor  to  keep  my  mind 
easy,  and  rest  all  my  burdens  upon  the  Lord.  But  ah  !  I 
find  my  faith  weak  ;  unbelieving  fears  will  intrude  and  dis- 
turb my  peace.  I  feel  very  sensibly  the  want  of  that  dear 
bosom  on  which  I  can  lean  and  pour  out  all  my  joys  and 
sorrows ;  but  I  know  it  is  wrong  to  trust  to  any  earthly 
support.  '  Oh  for  a  closer  walk  with  God,'  a  more  implicit 
confidence  in  that  Friend  who  sticketh  closer  than  a 
brother!" 

The  above  were  written  to  him  whilst  in  attendance  upon 
the  Pittsburg  Convention  and  the  General  Assembly,  of 
which  he  was  that  year  a  member.  After  the  Assembly 
adjourned,  he  returned  home,  but  soon  resumed  his  toils  in 
visiting  different  sections  to  collect  funds  for  the  college. 
The  following  extracts  are  from  letters  addressed  to  him 
whilst  thus  engaged  : 

"  Mount  Lafayette,  Nov.  14th,  1835. 

"  Mv  dear  Husband, —  .  .  .  You  appear  to  be  in 
pretty  good  heart  about  the  college.     I  do  sincerely  pray 


MRS.  JUNKIN.  jS-j 

that  the  Lord  may  prosper  you,  and  that  your  labor  may 
not  be  in  vain.  You  have  spent  many  anxious  hours  about 
it,  and  endured  much  fatigue;  but  if  you  can  by  it  pro- 
mote the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  I  know  you  will  feel  amply 
rewarded.  From  the  way  things  went  in  Synod,  I  should 
think  the  present  a  favorable  time  for  your  application. 
We  have  not  heard  whether  Mr.  B.  submits  to  his  sentence. 
.  As  far  as  I  know,  things  go  on  very  smoothly 
in  the  college.  The  students  are  generally  much  pleased 
with  the  change  in  the  faculty.  .  .  .  There  is  a  very 
respectable  body  of  students  here  now.  They  conduct 
themselves  with  a  great  deal  of  propriety.  They  are  nearly 
all  anxious  to  work,  and  Mr.  G.  says  he  finds  much  diffi- 
culty in  getting  sufficient  work  for  those  who  want  to  work 
in  the  shops.  .  .  .  S.,  M.,  J.,  Jos.,  and  E.  have  walked 
over  to  Uncle  D.'s  to-day;  G.,  E.,  and  W.  are  playing  up 
by  the  shops ;  little  J.  is  asleep  in  the  cradle  beside  me  ; 
we  have  all  enjoyed  good  health  since  you  left  us.  Oh  that 
we  were  duly  thankful  !  Do  not  preach  too  much,  espe- 
cially at  night.  When  will  you  be  home?  We  do  indeed 
miss  you  very  much.  I  believe  all  try  to  do  as  well  as  they 
can  ;  but  still  the  head  is  wanting,  and  you  will  probably 
find,  on  your  return,  that  many  things  have  not  been  at- 
tended to  as  you  wished.  .  .  .  Good-by,  my  dear 
husband.  May  the  Lord  bless  and  prosper  you,  and  restore 
you  to  us  soon  in  health  and  peace. 

"Your  affectionate 

"Julia." 

"  Mount  Lafayette,  Dec.  21st,  1835. 

"  My  dear  Husband, — I  have  had  some  doubts  whether 
it  is  worth  while  to  write  to  you,  thinking  that  you  will 
perhaps  be  home  in  a  few  days.  1st.  Because,  in  a  letter 
received  from  Mr.  Breckenridge,  since  you  left  us,  he  says 
this  is  not  a  good  time  for  you  to  go  to  Baltimore  ;  and — 
2d.  If  it  was  not  a  good  time  to  beg  there  when  he  wrote, 
it  will  certainly  be  worse  now,  as  the  sufferers  by  the 
dreadful  fire  in  N.  Y.  will  require  all  the  funds  the  charita- 
ble have  to  spare.  We  have  not  heard  any  of  the  particulars 
yet,  but  expect  we  will  by  this  evening's  mail.  The  Ob- 
server has  not  come,  and  probably  was  not  printed.  A 
short  notice  in  the  last  Philadelphia  paper  mentioned  that 


1 68  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

seven  entire  blocks  were  destroyed,  in  one  of  which  was 
the  Middle  Dutch  Church.  Dr.  Knox  of  course  must  be 
burned  out.  It  is  an  awful  dispensation  !  How  quickly 
can  He  who  rules  the  raging  elements  send  them  to  lay  low 
the  pride  of  man  !  Many  who  were  rolling  in  affluence 
when  you  were  in  N.  Y.,  will  find  a  sad  change  now.  .  . 
I  am  kept  pretty  busy,  as,  in  addition  to  my  other  cares,  I 

have  undertaken  to  teach  E and  Wra.     I  found  if  I 

did  not  do  it  they  would  run  wild  altogether,  for  Mr.  K. 
has  not  time  to  attend  to  them." 

Similar  extracts  might  be  multiplied,  many  of  them  going 
even  more  into  the  detail  of  the  perplexing  cares  that,  in 
his  absence,  devolved  upon  her,  and  upon  the  agents  he 
had  left  in  charge  of  the  various  departments  of  the  institu- 
tion, but  all  exhibiting  the  same  spirit  of  devotion  to  a  work 
which  she  considered  to  be  promotive  of  her  Redeemer's 
kingdom.  But  it  seems  not  desirable  to  present  more  than 
will  enable  the  reader  to  form  an  estimate  of  the  toils  and 
trials  to  which  this  noble  Christian  woman,  in  common  with 
her  husband,  submitted,  for  Christ's  sake,  in  laying  the 
foundations  of  a  seat  of  learning  that  has  proved,  and  is 
likely  still  further  to  prove,  a  great  blessing  to  the  church, 
the  country,  and  the  world.  Only  one  more  extract  from 
these  letters  shall  be  made,  showing  that  a  suggestion  of 
hers  led  to  the  adoption  of  a  different  plan  of  operations, 
which  enabled  the  President  to  bestow  more  attention  upon 
the  home  interests  of  the  College : 

"The  evening  we  received  your  letter  from  Baltimore 
we  had  some  expectation  of  seeing  yourself,  and  you  may 
know  it  was  a  damper  to  hear  that  you  were  about  starting 
to  go  through  the  New  Castle  Presbytery.  I  really  fear 
you  will  have  your  labor  for  your  pains.  If  you  were  getting 
any  funds  worth  the  while,  I  would  submit  more  contentedly 
to  your  absence  from  home,  which  I  do  feel  very  much ; 
but  I  try  to  bear  it  as  well  as  I  can,  knowing  that  I  have 
still  many  mercies  of  which  I  am  unworthy.  It  is  certainly 
a  disadvantage  to  the  college  for  you  to  be  so  much  away, 


NEW  AGENCY.  169 

riot  to  speak  of  your  own  family ;  and  I  think  an  agent 
might  be  procured  who  would  be  as  good  a  beggar  as  you. 
What  think  you  of  Benjamin  Tyler?*  There  is  a  possi- 
bility, perhaps  a  probability,  that  he  would  accept.  He  is  a 
warm  friend  to  you  and  to  the  college ;  he  says  there  is  no 
institution  in  the  land  in  which  he  feels  so  much  interest ; 
he  is  a  great  advocate  of  manual  labor,  has  a  good  address, 
and  is  personally  acquainted  with  the  management  of  affairs 
in  the  institution.  He  is  at  present  at  Princeton,  and  I 
think  if  you  would  write  to  him,  and  urge  him  a  little,  he 
would  undertake  it." 

This  suggestion  was  adopted.  Mr.  Tyler  consented,  and 
after  Dr.  Junkin  had  labored  a  few  months  longer  in  the 
work  of  collecting,  he  devolved  it  cheerfully  upon  Mr. 
Tyler.  After  he  had  served  for  a  time  with  varying  suc- 
cess, he  accepted  a  pastoral  charge,  and  retired  from  the 
agency.  Another  was  appointed,  but  his  efforts  accom- 
plished but  little,  and  the  time  drew  on  when  Dr.  Junkin 
was  to  be  separated  for  a  season  from  the  institution,  and 
its  struggles  were  to  be  continued  under  the  administration 
of  other  men. 

It  was  deemed  best  to  give  in  a  consecutive  statement  an 
account  of  Dr.  Junkin' s  direct  labors  in  founding  Lafa- 
yette College,  so  as  to  convey  some  faint  conception  of 
their  nature  and  amount.  But  during  these  years  of  toil 
in  this  enterprise,  other  and  very  important  events  in  his 
history  occurred,  and  other  labors,  arduous  and  self-deny- 
ing, yet  not  so  directly  connected  with  the  College,  were 
performed.  To  record  these  it  will  be  necessary  to  go 
back  to  the  period  of  his  advent  to  Easton,  and  bring  up 
the  narrative  of  these  contemporaneous  events  and  labors. 
This  will  be  done  in  the  chapters  next  ensuing. 


*  A  former  student  of  Lafayette,  just  then  licensed;  afterwards  a  minister 
at  Deerfield,  N.  J. 

15 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Dr.  Junkin  as  a  Peace-Maker — Dr.  Elliott's  Testimony — Joins  the  Presby- 
tery of  Newton — Labors  in  the  Gospel — Sermon  on  Transmission  of 
Piety  from  Parent  to  Child — New  Village — Degree  of  D.D.  Conferred — 
Success  as  President,  and  its  Causes — Heart-Sympathy — Death  in  the 
Household. 

FOR  a  time  after  his  removal  to  Easton,  Dr.  Junkin 
continued  to  be  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  Phil- 
adelphia, and  was  its  Moderator  for  a  season.  About  the 
time  of  his  removal  the  difficulties  in  the  old  Second  Church 
of  that  city,  which  eventually  resulted  in  the  division  of 
it  and  the  formation  of  the  Central  Church,  were  at  their 
height.  The  Presbytery  itself  was  much  divided  in  opinion, 
most  of  the  members  sympathizing  with  the  one  party  or 
the  other  so  strongly  as  to  lose  their  influence  with  the  op- 
posite party.  Mr.  Junkin  was  almost  the  only  member  in 
whose  impartiality  both  parties  retained  such  confidence 
as  pointed  him  out  as  a  mediator,  and  he  was  appealed  to 
to  act  in  this  capacity,  and  made  several  journeys  to  the  city, 
and  was  at  much  toil  and  pains  to  effect  an  adjustment  of 
these  troubles.  And,  what  is  very  unusual  in  the  history 
of  mere  human  mediators,  he  retained  the  affection  and 
confidence  of  all  concerned  after  the  troubles  were  ended. 
This  incident  is  mentioned  as  illustrative  of  a  trait  in  Dr. 
Junkin's  character,  which  was  a  marked  and  prominent 
one,  but  in  which  he  has  by  some  been  supposed  to  be  de- 
ficient,— capability  to  be  a  wise  and  impartial  peace-maker. 
The  unflinching  firmness  which  he  always  exhibited  in  de- 
fence of  what  he  deemed  important  truth,  has  left  the  im- 
pression upon  many  minds  that  he  was  a  man  of  war  rather 
than  a  man  of  peace.  But  those  who  knew  him  best  di'"1 
(  17°) 


DR.    JUNK  IN  A    PEACE-MAKER.  171 

not  so  estimate  his  character.  They  knew  him  to  be  gentle 
as  a  woman,  and  as  guileless  as  Nathanael.  And  his  life  was 
gemmed  all  along  with  those  quiet  and  wisely-performed 
acts  of  charity  which  win  the  beatitude  of  the  peace- 
maker. One  of  his  distinguished  contemporaries,  the  ven- 
erable Dr.  David  Elliott,  in  a  letter  to  the  writer,  says : 

"Of  his  disposition  to  remove  offences,  and  to  promote 
harmony  among  brethren,  I  have  had  some  evidence.  In 
a  case  of  offence,  in  which  the  party  offended  was  about  to 
seek  redress  for  the  supposed  injury,  Dr.  Junkin,  having 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  it,  and  fearing  that  the  offended 
party  might  be  too  much  excited  to  manage  the  matter  suc- 
cessfully, volunteered  to  mediate  in  the  case.  This  was 
accepted,  and  he  conducted  the  matter  with  so  much  can- 
dor and  good  temper  that  the  offence,  which  arose  from  a 
misapprehension  of  facts,  was  removed,  and  the  parties 
were  ever  afterwards  good  friends.  Of  this  fact  I  had  per- 
sonal knowledge,  and  I  mention  it  as  illustrative  of  the 
doctor's  disposition,  and  also  to  show  how  easily  supposed 
offences  may  be  removed  by  the  kind  offices  of  a  Christian 
friend,  and  the  exercise  of  Christian  temper  by  the  parties." 

Dr.  Junkin  became  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  New- 
ton, which  at  that  time  embraced  the  churches  of  Easton 
and  vicinity,  in  April,  1833.  He  had  been  Moderator  of 
the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  for  the  year  1831-32,  and  had 
opened  its  sessions  at  Lewistown,  October  25,  1832,  with  a 
sermon  upon  II.  Tim.  i.  13.  His  change  of  Presbyterial 
relation  brought  him  to  be  a  member  of  the  Synod  of  New 
Jersey,  in  connection  with  which  he  continued  so  long  as 
he  was  President  of  Lafayette  College. 

His  intellectual  power,  great  experience  and  skill  as  a 
Presbyter,  and  his  devout  and  earnest  zeal  for  everything 
that  promised  to  promote  the  good  of  the  church  and  the 
glory  of  her  Head,  were  soon  recognized  by  his  brethren 
in  his  new  relations,  and  they  early  and  cordially  accorded 
him  that  influence  in  their  counsels  for  which  such  endow- 


172  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

ments  fitted  him.  Both  pastors  and  the  people  of  the  con- 
gregations sought  and  welcomed  his  labors;  and,  although 
he  was  so  devoted  to  the  great  work  of  education,  he  loved 
to  preach  the  gospel,  and,  in  fact,  his  pulpit  labors  were 
quite  as  abundant  as  those  of  any  of  the  pastors.  He  early  in- 
augurated regular  Sabbath  services  in  Brainerd  Hall,  the  prin- 
cipal assembly-room  of  the  college ;  and  he  regularly,  when 
at  home,  conducted  a  Bible-class  composed  of  the  students. 
Not  content  with  these  arduous  labors,  he  often  preached 
for  the  pastors  of  Easton  and  of  the  surrounding  country ; 
whilst  in  his  frequent  absences  upon  collecting  tours,  he 
never  spent  a  silent  Sabbath.  His  register  of  preaching 
shows  that  he  always  preached  once,  and  oftener  twice  and 
thrice,  upon  the  Lord's  day,  and,  very  often,  during  the 
week. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1833,  he  preached  in  Hack- 
ettstown,  New  Jersey,  a  sermon  founded  upon  Gen.  xviii. 
19.  It  was  a  time  of  special  spiritual  interest,  and  he  was 
assisting  the  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Campbell  in  a  series  of  meet- 
ings, during  which  he  preached  four  discourses.  The  dis- 
course mentioned  was  the  last  of  the  four,  and  made  such 
an  impression  that  the  pastor  and  people  obtained  a  copy 
of  it,  which  was  published.  It  was  a  remarkable  sermon, 
in  which  the  preacher  took  high  ground  in  regard  to  God's 
faithfulness  to  his  covenant  and  to  his  covenant  people,  and 
in  regard  to  the  efficacy  of  parental  training.  He  aimed  to 
prove,  that  where  heads  of  families  are  faithful  in  a  Scrip- 
tural way  in  "commanding  their  household  after  them," 
the  members  of  the  household  "shall  keep  the  way  of  the 
Lord,"  and  that  the  Lord  will  invariably  "fulfil  all  that  he 
hath  spoken."  He  maintained,  that  with  the  stipulations 
of  the  well-ordered  covenant  before  them,  parents  can,  by 
God's  grace,  more  surely  transmit  their  piety  to  their  off- 
spring than  their  worldly  estate ;  that,  under  God,  the 
transmission    from    parent    to   child   of  the    incorruptible 


DOCTORATE    CONFERRED. 


*73 


inheritance  may  be  more  certainly  effected  than  that  of 
worldly  goods. 

In  maintaining  this  doctrine  he  fully  acknowledged  God's 
sovereignty  in  dispensing  grace,  and  man's  utter  depend- 
ence upon  that  grace,  but  insisted  that  a  faithful  God  had 
bound  himself  by  promise  that,  when  the  means  are  faith- 
fully used  by  believing  parents,  the  blessing  will  follow 
with  as  unvarying  certainty  as  effect  follows  cause  in  any 
department  of  the  divine  administration.  He  held  that 
cause  and  effect  are  as  indissolubly  connected  in  the  field 
of  grace  as  in  the  field  of  nature;  that,  by  a  divine  con- 
stitution, the  family  is  made  the  agency  for  raising  up  not 
a  natural  seed  only,  but  also  a  holy  seed ;  and  that  where 
the  conditions  and  means  thereunto  are  faithfully  provided, 
the  grace  of  God  stands  pledged  to  secure  the  blessed 
result.  And  he  was  of  opinion  that,  in  cases  where  that 
result  was  not  realized,  the  failure  was  in  man,  not  in  a 
covenant-keeping  God.  He  urged  that  no  other  view  of 
this  subject  can  furnish  adequate  encouragement  to  parental 
faithfulness.  Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  doctrine, 
by  those  who  hold  loose  opinions  in  regard  to  the  cove- 
nant of  grace,  it  received  remarkable  illustration  in  the 
households  of  his  father  and  himself.  He  was  one  of 
fourteen  children,  all  of  whom,  except  four  who  died  in 
infancy,  maintained  a  reputable  profession  of  godliness ; 
and  all  of  his  own  children,  nine  in  number,  excepting  one 
who  died  in  early  infancy,  were  hopefully  pious. 

In  January,  1834,  Dr.  J.,  at  the  request  of  some  of  the 
inhabitants,  commenced  preaching  in  a  house  of  worship 
near  New  Village,  N.  J.,  about  six  miles  from  the  College. 
He  gave  a  series  of  lectures  upon  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews, 
which  attracted  large  congregations,  and  accomplished  much 
good. 

In  the  autumn  of  1833,  Jefferson  College,  Pennsylvania, 
conferred  upon  Mr.  Junkin  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor 


I74  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

in  Divinity.  At  that  period  these  distinctions  did  not 
come  in  periodical  showers,  as  they  have-since;  and  as  the 
recipient  in  this  case  was  not  in  a  position  to  confer  any 
favor  upon  the  institution  that  thus  honored  him,  it  may 
be  fairly  assumed  to  have  been  a  disinterested  tribute  to 
his  merit. 

As  President  of  the  College,  Dr.  Junkin  was  the  father 
and  pastor  of  the  students.  He  often  visited  them  in  their 
rooms,  conversed  with  them  about  their  spiritual  interests, 
and  prayed  with  and  for  them.  When  any  of  them  were 
sick,  he  showed  a  father's  solicitude  and  care.  And  in  the 
few  cases  of  death  that  occurred  during  his  presidency, 
all  the  deep  feelings  of  his  warm  heart  were  stirred. 

This  deep  affection  for  his  pupils  was  one  of  the  secrets 
of  Dr.  J.'s  great  power  in  governing  young  men  in  col- 
lege. And  it  was  all  the  more  powerful  in  its  influence  by 
the  fact  that  it  was  undemonstrative.  His  pupils  found  out 
that  Dr.  Junkin  had  heart,  as  well  as  head, — not  from  his 
professions  of  affection  for  them,  for  he  never  made  any, 
but  from  the  occasional  and  irrepressible  outgushings  of 
tenderness  in  his  intercourse  with  them,  and  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  as  head  of  the  College.  Heart  is  an 
indispensable  element  of  qualification  of  a  college  presi- 
dent, especially  among  American  youth.  But  it  must  be 
genuine,  natural,  unaffected  heart.  If  they  discover  that 
the  semblance  of  affection  is  put  on,  and  that  it  is  per- 
functory and  conventional,  they  will  be  chilled  and  dis- 
gusted, whilst  genuine  affection  flashing  forth  unbidden, 
even  from  beneath  a  stern  and  undemonstrative  exterior, 
wins  its  way  directly  to  their  hearts. 

We  have  mentioned  that  the  new  college  edifice  was 
occupied  on  the  ist  of  April,  1834.  But  a  fortnight  pre- 
vious to  this,  viz.,  on  the  15th  of  March,  a  severe  domestic 
infliction  was  added  to  the  other  pressing  cares  of  the  Presi- 
dent.     Death  for  the   first  time    invaded    his  household. 


DEATH  IN   THE    HOUSEHOLD. 


*75 


A  little  baby-boy,  of  peculiar  beauty  and  promise,  was  sud- 
denly snatched  from  the  fond  parental  embrace.  The  event 
awoke  a  measure  of  intense  sympathy  in  the  community, 
quite  unusual  in  case  of  the  death  of  one  so  young ;  and 
this  fact  won  for  the  kind  people  of  Easton  a  deeper  place 
in  the  hearts  of  the  stricken  parents.  But  whilst  they  deeply 
mourned  the  loss  of  their  beloved  (Heb.,  David),  every 
one  was  impressed  with  the  singularly  triumphing  faith 
with  which  they  followed  him  to  glory.  Never  has  the 
writer  witnessed,  in  the  afflicted,  a  faith  so  realizing  and 
assured. 

This  sorrow  seems  to  have  been  designed  to  fit  Dr. 
Junkin  for  toils  and  trials  soon  thereafter  to  be  encoun- 
tered. The  mellowing  effect  of  it  was  noticeable  in  his 
piety.  The  salvation  of  infants  was  ever  after  a  more  fre- 
quent theme  of  his  conversation  and  of  his  preaching,  and 
it  led  him  to  broader  and  deeper  discoveries  of  the  work 
of  Christ  as  the  great  Shepherd  who  redeems  the  flock  and 
"feeds  it,  and  gathereth  the  lambs  with  his  arm,  and  car- 
rieth  them  in  his  bosom." 

Thus  have  we  brought  our  sketch  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Junkin 
down  to  the  period  at  which  he  became  identified  with  the 
great  doctrinal  and  ecclesiastical  struggle  which  resulted 
in  the  division  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Some  inci- 
dents of  a  later  date  have  been  anticipated,  because  they 
grouped  readily  with  other  incidents  that  illustrated  the 
character  and  disposition  of  the  man,  and  because  they 
were  not  of  a  character  demanding  chronological  mention. 
We  now  come  to  the  very  delicate  and  difficult  task  of 
narrating  the  part  he  bore  in  the  ecclesiastical  history  of 
his  times. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

History  of  Opinion  Important — Delicacy  of  the  Writer's  Task — History 
of  the  Disruption  of  1838 — Plan  of  Union — Its  Objects  and  Results — New 
England  Men  and  Measures — Opposition  to  Workings  of  the  Plan  of 
Union  begun  in  1820 — Continued  till  1831 — Party  Lines  drawn — The 
Church  always  a  Missionary  Society — Rise  of  the  Board  of  Missions — 
Education  Efforts — American  Education  and  Home  Missionary  Socie- 
ties— Programme  of  Innovation — Proofs — Results  in  both  Schools. 

THE  history  of  men  would  be  incomplete  without  the 
history  of  opinion.  The  facts  which  they  believe  and 
the  opinions  which  they  maintain  give  character  to  men, 
shape  their  conduct,  and  impart  vivacity  to  their  history. 
Indeed,  a  history  that  would  ignore  the  principles  of  men, 
would  be  no  history  at  all,  for  principles  impart  impulse  to 
the  actions  of  men.  Who  could  write  a  life  of  Paul  the 
Apostle  in  which  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  and 
its  cognate  opinions  should  be  ignored  ?  Who  would  read 
a  life  of  Luther,  or  Calvin,  or  Zwingle  in  which  no  state- 
ment is  made  of  the  great  principles  of  the  Protestant 
Reformation  ?  Who  would  deem  a  biography  of  Hampden, 
or  Sidney,  or  Washington  complete  and  satisfactory  which 
made  no  mention  of  their  opinions  and  of  the  principles  of 
regulated  liberty  and  the  rights  of  man  ?  Such  narrative 
would  be  utterly  destitute  of  life  and  interest,  and  would, 
indeed,  lack  the  essential  element  of  truth,  for  no  incident, 
in  the  history  of  a  man  or  of  society,  can  be  truthfully  stated 
unless  the  causes  from  which  it  resulted  are  also  given. 
Men  act  under  the  influence  of  opinion,  and  from  motives 
furnished  by  their  real  belief;  and  without  a  knowledge 
of  these,  the  events  of  history  would  be  like  boulders  on 
the  strand,  dead  facts,  without  connection,  without  ascer- 
(176) 


HISTORY  OF  OPINION. 


177 


tained  causes,  and  without  practical  value.  Opinion, 
thought,  principles,  furnish  the  most  vital  and  enduring 
staple  of  history.  Men  are  born,  live,  die  and  piss  away ; 
generation  succeeds  generation,  as  wave  follows  wave  on 
the  bosom  of  the  deep ;  but  principles,  if  right  and  true, 
endure.  Opinions  survive  the  men  who  maintained  them. 
The  martyr  dies,  but  his  principles  live  and  furnish  the 
animating  impulse  of  other  struggles  and  the  soul  of  other 
histories.  Truth  is  eternal  as  its  source.  As  the  blood- 
circulation  to  the  bodily  life  of  man,  so  is  opinion  to  the 
vitality  of  history. 

And  yet  the  history  of  opinion  is  difficult  to  write,  espe- 
cially whilst  the  conflict  of  opinion  still  goes  on,  or  whilst 
the  smoke  and  debris  of  the  battle  have  scarcely  disap- 
peared from  the  field  of  strife.  Men  are  so  apt  to  misap- 
prehend the  opinions  of  opponents,  to  use  terminology  in 
such  diverse  senses,  and  to  so  understand  an  opponent  as 
to  intensify  his  error,  that  more  than  usual  caution,  candor 
and  charity  are  demanded  of  those  who  write  the  narrative 
of  controversy. 

These  remarks  apply  to  all  classes  of  opinion,  whether 
relating  to  physics  or  metaphysics,  to  political  or  social 
philosophy,  or  to  morals.  And  they  apply  with  especial 
force  to  the  field  of  theological  investigation. 

There  are  seasons,  too,  in  which  it  is  especially  difficult 
so  to  write  the  history  of  systems  of  opinion  as  to  make 
it  satisfactory,  even  if  fairly  and  truly  written.  There 
are  times  in  which  men  are  impatient  of  allusions  to  a 
recent  past,  the  history  of  which  may  involve  matters  not 
pleasant  to  remember,  and  the  reminiscences  of  which, 
they  may  fear,  will  jeopard  the  programme  of  the  imme- 
diate future. 

Considerations  of  this  kind  have  pressed,  with  a  weight 
almost  appalling,  upon  the  mind  of  the  writer  of  these 
pages.     He  had  begun  the  work  before  the  recent  union 


l78  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

between  the  two  branches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  was 
certain  of  being  accomplished ;  and  since  its  happy  and 
wonderful  consummation,  he  has,  at  times,  been  ready  to 
abandon  the  task,  in  view  of  the  peculiar  delicacy  and 
difficulty  of  writing  that  history  of  opinion,  without  which, 
a  biography  of  Dr.  Junkin  would  be  not  only  incomplete, 
but  unfair  and  injurious  to  its  beloved  subject.  The  fear 
has  arisen  that  such  a  narrative  might  seem  like  the  open- 
ing of  wounds  so  recently  and  so  happily  healed  ;  and  that, 
in  recording  truth,  the  writer  might  appear  to  wound  sweet 
charity.  But  he  has  been  encouraged  to  persevere  in  his 
work  by  such  considerations  as  the  following : 

i.  God  is  in  history,  and,  when  truly  written,  it  is  a 
record  of  His  providence. 

2.  The  history  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  for  the  last 
forty  years,  is  as  important  as  that  of  any  other  period. 
It  cannot  be  ignored  or  left  out :  somebody  will  write  it. 

3.  Some  have  undertaken  to  write  it,  and  that  at  a  period 
much  earlier  than  the  present.  Books  of  biography  and 
history  have  been  written,  and  that,  too,  before  the  dust  of 
recent  conflicts  had  been  swept  away  by  the  zephyrs  of 
returning  peace.  And  it  is  here  confessed,  that  in  these 
books,  on  both  sides,  there  is  found  a  measure  of  candor 
and  fairness  scarcely  to  be  expected  from  writers  occupy- 
ing a  party  stand-point ;  and 

4.  The  present  writer  hopes,  by  God's  grace,  to  exercise 
at  least  an  equal  degree  of  candor  and  kindness,  and, 
whilst  faithful  to  the  truth  of  history,  and  to  the  memory 
of  the  departed,  to  do  no  violence  to  the  law  of  charity. 
Nor  does  he  despair  of  so  performing  his  task  as  to  con- 
tribute to  the  more  perfect  healing  of  old  wounds,  and  the 
closer  union,  in  the  truth,  of  that  great  church  to  which  he 
has  given  his  warmest  affections,  and  in  whose  unity  he 
rejoices.  His  task  has  been  rendered  less  embarrassing 
by  the  fact,  conceded  on  all  hands,  that  the  chief  causes 


PLAN  OF   UNION.  179 

of  the  division  had  disappeared  before  the  reunion,  and  are 
now  entirely  eliminated.  To  give  a  compact  and  fair  his- 
tory of  the  various  causes  that  led  to  the  disruption  shall 
now  be  attempted. 

The  opening  of  the  nineteenth  century  found  our  coun- 
try rapidly  extending  her  population  westward,  and  the 
evangelical  churches  making  efforts  to  establish  the  institu- 
tions of  religion  among  the  sparse  populations  of  the  new 
settlements.  Many  of  those  settlements  were  composed 
partly  of  the  Calvinistic  denominations, — Presbyterians 
and  Congregationalists.  Agreeing  in  the  main  in  regard 
to  doctrine  and  worship,  these  denominations  of  Christians 
differed  only  in  the  matter  of  church  government  and  dis- 
cipline ;  the  former  maintaining  a  representative  republican 
form  of  government,  the  latter  a  pure  democracy,  in  which 
all  the  members  of  the  church  vote  in  cases  of  discipline. 
Western  New  York,  and  the  "Western  Reserve"  in  Ohio, 
were  being  rapidly  settled  with  people  of  both  denomina- 
tions ;  and  it  sometimes  happened  that  neither  were  sepa- 
rately able  to  support  Christian  ordinances,  whilst,  by 
uniting,  they  might  do  it.  The  Western  (or  Connecticut) 
Reserve,  in  the  northeastern  portion  of  Ohio,  was  chiefly 
settled  by  people  from  Connecticut,  with  an  admixture  from 
other  States,  some  of  whom  were  Presbyterians. 

The  state  of  things  here  described  led  to  the  adoption, 
by  the  General  Assembly  and  by  the  Association  of  Con- 
necticut, of  an  arrangement  which  has  become  celebrated 
in  our  church  history  as  "The  Plan  of  Union." 

The  proposal  that  led  to  this  measure  came  from  the 
General  Association  of  Connecticut,  and  was  laid  before 
the  Assembly  of  1801  by  a  committee  appointed  by  the 
Association.  The  object  avowed  in  this  communication 
was,  "  to  prevent  alienation,  to  promote  harmony,  and  to 
establish,  as  far  as  possible,  a  uniform  system  of  church 
government  between  those  inhabitants  of  the  new  settle- 


180  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE   JUNK  IN. 

ments  who  are  attached  to  the  Presbyterian  form  of  church 
government,  and  those  who  are  attached  to  the  Congrega- 
tional form." 

The  proposal  was  referred  to  a  committee,  which  re- 
ported a  Plan,  which  was  adopted  by  both  the  bodies.  It 
contained  four  sections.  The  first  enjoined  upon  the  mis- 
sionaries "  to  promote  mutual  forbearance  and  a  spirit  of 
accommodation,  between  those  inhabitants  of  the  new  set- 
tlements" who  adhered  severally  to  one  or  the  other  form 
of  government.  The  second  provided,  that  "  if  any  church 
in  the  new  settlements,  of  the  Congregational  order,  shall 
settle  a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  order,  that  church 
may,  if  they  choose,  conduct  their  discipline  according  to 
Congregational  principles,  settling  their  difficulties  among 
themselves,  or  by  a  council  mutually  agreed  upon  for  that 
purpose.  But  if  any  difficulty  shall  exist  between  the 
minister  and  the  church,  or  any  member  of  it,  it  shall  be 
referred  to  the  Presbytery  to  which  the  minister  shall  be- 
long, provided  both  parties  agree  to  it,  otherwise  by  a 
council,  one-half  Congregationalists  and  the  other  Presby- 
terians, mutually  agreed  upon  by  the  parties."  The  third 
made  precisely  similar  provisions,  mutatis  mutandis,  in  case 
a  Presbyterian  church  settled  a  Congregational  minister. 
The  fourth  provided,  "  that  if  any  congregation  consist 
partly  of  those  who  hold  the  Congregational  form  of  dis- 
cipline, and  partly  of  those  who  hold  the  Presbyterian 
form,  we  recommend  to  both  parties  that  this  be  no  obstruc- 
tion to  uniting  in  one  church  and  settling  a  minister,  and 
that,  in  this  case,  the  church  choose  a  standing  committee 
from  the  communicants  of  said  church,  whose  business  it 
shall  be  to  call  to  account  every  member  of  the  church  who 
shall  conduct  himself  inconsistently  with  the  laws  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  to  give  judgment  on  such  conduct.  That 
if  the  person  condemned  shall  be  a  Presbyterian,  he  shall 
have  liberty  to  appeal  to  the  Presbytery;  if  he  be  a  Con- 


RESULTS   OF  THE   PLAN  OF   UNION.  1S1 

gregationalist,  he  shall  have  liberty  to  appeal  to  the  body 
of  the  male  communicants  of  the  church.  In  the  former 
case,  the  determination  of  the  Presbytery  shall  be  final, 
unless  the  church  shall  consent  to  a  further  appeal  to  the 
Synod  or  the  General  Assembly ;  and,  in  the  latter  case, 
if  the  party  condemned  shall  wish  for  a  trial  by  a  mutual 
council,  the  case  shall  be  referred  to  such  a  council.  And 
provided  the  said  standing  committee  of  any  church  shall 
depute  one  of  themselves  to  attend  the  Presbytery,  he  may 
have  the  same  right  to  sit  and  act  in  the  Presbytery  as  a 
ruling  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  Church."  This  plan  was 
adopted  next  year  (1802)  by  the  Association  of  Connec- 
ticut. It  led  to  the  adoption  of  plans  of  fraternal  inter- 
course by  the  Presbytery  and  Synod  of  Albany,  and  the 
Congregational  bodies  occupying  the  same  or  adjacent 
territory ;  and  endured  much  longer,  and  was  extended 
much  more  widely,  than  seems  to  have  been  contemplated 
by  the  stipulating  bodies  on  either  side. 

Whilst  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  purest  and  noblest 
Christian  impulses  led  to  the  adoption  of  this  famous  Plan 
of  Union,  and  whilst  no  doubt  great  benefits  did  arise  out 
of  it  in  the  new  settlements,  it  is  also  true  that  it  was  ex- 
tended far  beyond  the  conception  of  its  framers,  used  for 
purposes  never  contemplated  by  them,  and  that  it  brought 
into  existence  a  large  number  of  churches  of  hybrid  con- 
stitution and  growth,  which,  in  the  end,  marred  the  peace 
of  both  denominations,  and  prevented  the  edification  of 
these  churches  themselves. 

Other  incidental  evils,  by  no  means  confined  to  "the 
new  settlements,"  grew  out  of  this  abnormal  system,  and 
rapidly  extended  over  the  whole  Church,  doing  injury  to 
both  denominations.  It  arrested  the  progress  of  strict 
Congregationalism  almost  entirely ;  and  it  produced  a 
fungous  growth  upon  the  Presbyterian  body  inconsistent 
with  its  health  and  efficiency.     It  cannot  be  denied  that 

16 


1 82  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

pure  Congregationalism  was  the  greater  loser  by  this  scheme  ; 
whilst  the  gain  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  an  abnor- 
mal and  unhealthy  one. 

As  early  as  1820,  the  attention  of  the  General  Assembly 
was  drawn  to  the  abnormal  working  of  this  system  by  the 
claim  of  a  Mr.  Lathrop,  a  Congregationalist  and  a  Com- 
mitteeman, to  sit  as  a  Commissioner  in  the  General  Assem- 
bly. His  right  was  resisted,  but  conceded.  (See  Minutes, 
pp.  721,  722,  724.)  Again,  in  the  first  General  Assembly 
in  which  Mr.  Junkin  sat  (1826),  a  similar  case  occurred, 
and  forty-two  members  protested.  (Minutes,  1826,  pp.  8, 
23,  28.)  Again,  in  1831,  in  the  case  of  Clement  Tuttle, 
a  committeeman  from  Grand  River  Presbytery.  He  was 
admitted,  and  a  protest  against  it  entered.  But  at  the 
same  session  a  resolution  was  passed  to  the  effect,  that  the 
appointment  of  committeemen  as  commissioners  to  the 
Assembly  was  "inexpedient  and  of  questionable  constitu- 
tionality, and  therefore  ought  not  in  future  to  be  made." 
(Minutes,  pp.  158,  185,  190.)  Against  this  act  of  the 
Assembly  those  members,  who  about  this  time  began  to  be 
called  the  "New  School,"  protested.  (192.) 

Next  year  the  same  Presbytery  sent  up  two  "committee- 
men" as  commissioners.  Their  case  was  referred  to  the 
committee  on  elections,  who  reported  that  these  com- 
missions had  been  withdrawn.     (Minutes,  1832,  pp.  314, 

3150 

Concomitant  with  the  governmental  difficulties  arising 
out  of  the  "Plan  of  Union,"  were  others  of  a  more  serious 
character,  affecting  the  doctrinal  purity  of  the  churches. 
New  England  had  a  surplus  of  preachers,  as  well  as  of  other 
educated  men,  who  naturally  sought  employment  in  other 
States,  particularly  in  the  West.  The  system  of  Congrega- 
tionalism was  not  so  effective  in  securing  careful  examina- 
tion of  candidates  for  the  holy  office  as  was  the  system  of 
Presbytery.     For  many  years  the  theology  of  New  England, 


MODIFICATIONS   OF  DOCTRINE.  183 

once  thoroughly  Calvinistic,  had  in  certain  quarters,  and 
in  certain  schools,  been  undergoing  a  gradual,  almost  im- 
perceptible, but  still  real  change  in  the  direction  of  greater 
laxity  of  opinion.  The  Socinian  or  Unitarian  element  had 
crept  in ;  and  although  it  was  learnedly  and  ably  resisted 
by  many  of  the  best  New  England  minds,  it  had  made 
alarming  progress.  Harvard  College,  founded  by  the  zeal, 
the  prayers  and  the  gifts  of  godly  and  orthodox  worship- 
pers of  the  Son  of  God,  had  passed  under  the  control  of 
those  who  denied  his  supreme  Divinity.  Many  Congrega- 
tional churches,  once  orthodox,  had  gone  over  to  the 
Unitarians.  Others  had  become  divided,  some  of  the 
members  adhering  to  the  orthodox  views,  and  others  em- 
bracing the  Christ-dishonoring  error.  And  in  the  progress 
of  the  doctrinal  conflict,  even  those  who  adhered  to  ortho- 
doxy were  led,  in  some  cases,  by  stress  of  circumstances, 
and  by  what  they  supposed  to  be  the  justifiable  necessities 
of  controversy,  to  modify,  in  many  points,  the  stern  old 
dogmas  of  the  Calvinistic  creed  of  their  fathers,  and  pre- 
sent new  views  of  theology,  which  they  hoped  might  be 
more  defensible  as  against  the  specious  and  popular  thrusts 
of  the  Socinians.  This  was  one  cause  of  the  rise  of  what 
has  been  known  as  the  "New  Theology." 

Other  modifications  of  the  doctrines  of  Christianity,  as 
laid  down  in  the  Westminster  standards,  the  Saybrook 
Platform  and  other  evangelical  formularies,  arose  from  the 
fondness  for  speculation,  and  especially  from  a  desire  to 
get  clear  of  certain  objections  which  had  always  been  raised 
against  the  Calvinistic  system.  These  dogmas  of  the  New 
Theology  will  be  noted  further  on.  This  much  of  their 
history  is  here  given,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the  reader 
to  understand  the  time  and  the  mode  of  the  rise  of  that 
theological  controversy,  in  the  progress  of  which  the  sub- 
ject of  this  narrative  bore  a  conspicuous  part. 

The  Plan  of  Union,  as  we  have  seen,  opened  the  way  for 


1 84  LIFE    OF  DR.  GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

the  free  ingress  of  New  England  preachers  into  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  And  whilst  many  of  them  were 
sound  and  excellent  men,  not  a  few  were  more  or  less  im- 
bued with  the  speculations  of  the  New  Theology.  Men 
of  this  stamp  found  their  way,  not  only  into  the  mixed 
churches  in  the  new  settlements,  but  also  into  important 
pastoral  charges  in  the  older  Presbyteries,  in  which  the 
Plan  of  Union  was  never  intended,  by  its  framers,  to  oper- 
ate. That  "Plan  of  Union"  did  much  to  make  the  people 
and  the  Presbyteries  feel  that  the  two  systems  were  identi- 
cal ;  that  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  ministers  were 
so  nearly  the  same,  that  the  transit  from  one  body  to  the 
other  scarcely  involved  any  change  of  opinion,  and  de- 
manded no  examination  of  the  men  in  transitu.  The  con- 
sequence was,  that  scrutiny  of  doctrinal  views  was  relaxed, 
and  ministers  and  licentiates  passed  from  one  body  to  the 
other  without  suspicion  and  without  challenge,  clean  papers 
only  being  demanded.  This  state  of  things  might  seem  very 
accordant  with  fraternal  confidence  and  charity,  and  very 
fair  and  equal  in  its  operations.  But  when  it  is  remem- 
bered that  the  transits  were  nearly  all  in  one  direction,  viz., 
from  New  England  and  the  Congregational  Associations 
into  the  bounds  and  the  Presbyteries  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  rule  worked  only  one 
way,  and  soon  threw  into  the  latter  Church  a  large, 
shrewd,  and  enterprising  body  of  men  who  were  Presby- 
terian not  from  conviction  but  for  convenience.  There  were 
few  new  churches  organized  in  New  England  ;  and  as  their 
Colleges  and  Seminaries  teemed  with  young  men  who 
wanted  places  and  could  not  find  them  upon  Congrega- 
tional ground,  it  was  a  very  nice  arrangement  by  which 
the  surplus  could  flow  into  the  Presbyterian  congregations. 
Whilst  the  "Plan  of  Union"  opened  the  way  for  this  pro- 
cess, other  agencies  were  called  into  exercise  for  vigorously 
helping  forward    the  process.     The  American   Education 


BITTER   RESENTMENT  185 

Society  and  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society,  both 
under  control  of  Congregational  men,  constituted  efficient 
agencies  for  this  purpose ;  the  one  providing  the  men,  the 
other  sending  them  forth  and  sustaining  them.  Through 
such  a  door,  and  by  such  agencies,  were  many  men,  who 
were  brought  up  with  Congregational  prepossessions  and 
in  the  New  Theology,  thrown  broadcast  over  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  many  of  them  into  positions  of  influence. 
The  greater  number,  it  is  true,  were  to  be  found  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  Northern  Ohio,  and  the  West ;  but 
sporadic  cases  of  such  element  were  found  in  other  locali- 
ties, even  in  the  distant  South. 

The  fruits  of  an  ecclesiastical  system  so  lax  and  un- 
guarded, soon  began  to  appear.  Diverse  opinions,  both  in 
doctrine  and  order,  arose,  and  became  more  and  more 
strongly  marked,  and,  from  1820  onward  to  1837,  these 
conflicts  of  opinion  increased  in  earnestness  until  they 
resulted  in  disruption. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  write  a  just  and  complete  bio- 
graphy of  Dr.  George  Junkin  without  exhibiting  the  part 
he  bore  in  the  events  which  resulted  in  the  division  of  the 
church ;  and  it  will  be  impossible  to  exhibit  this  without 
going  into  a  pretty  full  detail  of  the  doctrinal  and  eccle- 
siastical conflicts  that  marked  the  period.  Perhaps  no  man 
in  the  ranks  of  the  "Old  School"  was  the  object  of  more 
bitter  resentment,  nor  the  subject  of  intenser  animadver- 
sion, than  was  he,  and  none  of  them  made  such  sacrifices 
of  private  interests,  personal  feeling,  bodily  and  intellect- 
ual toil,  and  public  consideration.  No  man,  unless  it  was 
Dr.  Robert  J.  Breckenridge,  was  for  a  time  more  obnoxious 
to  the  "New  School,"  and  to  that  portion  of  the  public 
that  sympathized  with  them.  This  was  in  part  owing  to 
the  following  facts  :  1st.  Dr.  Junkin  encountered  the  odium 
that  is  apt  to  attach  to  a  public  prosecutor,  especially  when 
the  accused  is   a   favorite  with   a   large    party.     2d.    He 

15* 


1 86  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

was  the  instrument  of  bringing  the  doctrinal  questions  at 
issue  to  a  judicial  decision,  and  of  demonstrating  that  these 
questions  affected  fundamentals  in  the  faith  of  the  church. 
3d.  Whenever  great  questions  of  doctrine  or  constitutional 
principles  were  discussed,  he  was  among  the  prominent  and 
effective  debaters.  4th.  He  took  less  pains  than  most  men 
do  to  "set  himself  right"  with  the  public.  His  habitual 
forget  fulness  of  self  when  he  thought  truth  and  right  were 
at  stake,  prevented  any  questions  about  the  popularity  of  his 
course  from  arising  in  his  mind.  He  was  one  of  the  men 
who  would  rather  be  right  than  be  popular;  and,  aiming 
to  do  right  in  the  fear  of  God,  he  was  not  given  to  make 
calculations  in  regard  to  the  effect  it  might  have  on  his 
private  interests  or  his  personal  popularity.  He  had 
faith  in  God  and  in  the  future,  and  was  perhaps  too  indif- 
ferent to  the  transient  censures  of  heated  partisans,  and 
the  currents  of  popular  opinion.  Hence  he  was  often  mis- 
understood and  misrepresented  in  regard  to  his  motives 
and  conduct,  especially  by  those  who  did  not  personally 
know  him. 

The  causes  of  the  disruption  of  1838  may  all  be  com- 
prehended under  four  classes,  affiliated,  however,  in  their 
operation,  viz.,  1.  Alleged  error  in  doctrine ;  2.  Alleged 
departure  from  Presbyterian  order;  3.  What  were  techni- 
cally called  "New  Measures  ;"  and  4.  Diversity  of  opinion 
in  regard  to  the  modes  of  conducting  the  aggressive  work 
of  the  church ;  one  party  claiming  that  it  is  the  right  and 
the  duty  of  the  church  to  conduct  Missions  in  her  own 
name,  and  through  her  own  organization;  the  other  party 
insisting  that  it  may  be  done  through  the  agency  of  Vol- 
untary Societies.  The  first  class  of  causes  will  be  treated 
further  on ;  the  second  class  we  have  noticed  as  growing 
out  of  "the  Plan  of  Union;"  the  third,  the  "New  Meas- 
ures," were  certain  methods  of  conducting  revival  efforts, 
which  had  been  introduced  by  zealous  ministers  and  lay- 


RISE    OF    THE   BOARD    OF  MISSIONS.  ^7 

men,  and  which  had  been  carried  to  such  extremes  by  Mr. 
Finney,  Mr.  Burchard,  and  others,  as  to  awaken  resistance 
to  them,  on  the  part  of  those  who  dreaded  excitement  and 
extravagances.  Dr.  Nettleton  and  others  in  New  England 
raised  the  first  opposition  to  these  "New  Measures;"  but 
both  the  measures  themselves,  and  opposition  to  them, 
were  soon  transferred  to  the  Presbyterian  churches.  Many 
sound  men  (doctrinally)  favored  them  to  some  extent, 
under  the  conviction  that  they  promoted  conversions  and 
a  lively  type  of  piety.  As  a  general  thing,  they  were  op- 
posed by  the  "Old  School"  and  favored  by  the  "New;" 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  many  sound  men  were  led 
to  sympathize  with  the  New  School  more  than  they  other- 
wise would  have  done,  under  the  impression  that  there  was 
more  earnest  Christian  activity  and  less  "dead  orthodoxy" 
with  the  latter.  Still  it  is  true  that  many  of  the  Old  School 
used  the  "inquiry  meeting,"  and  sometimes  the  "anxious 
seats."  But,  as  the  subject  of  our  memoir  was  never  in- 
volved in  any  of  the  discussions  connected  with  this  mat- 
ter, and  as  it  was  not  before  the  church  courts,  we  dismiss 
it.     The  fourth  cause  needs  fuller  mention. 

From  her  earliest  history  in  this  land,  the  Presbyterian 
Church  has  been  practically  an  education  and  a  missionary 
organization.  The  Mother  Presbytery  (Philadelphia)  passed 
a  missionary  order  at  the  very  first  meeting,  the  records  of 
which  are  preserved  (1707).  Indeed,  one  of  the  avowed 
objects  of  the  formation  of  the  Presbytery  was  to  operate 
it  as  a  missionary  society.  This  is  stated  in  a  letter,  writ- 
ten in  1709,  to  Sir  Edmund  Harrison.  [See  letter  in 
Records  of  Presbyterian  Church,  page  16.]  And  all  down 
through  the  history  of  the  church,  the  idea  was  practically 
recognized,  that  the  church  was  a  missionary  society  per  se, 
and  that  evangelizing  work  was  her  mission.  Into  the  very 
woof  of  her  constitution  and  history  this  idea  was  woven, 
and  the  attempt  to  eliminate  it,  and  to  deprive  the  church 


1 88  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

of  direct  control  over  her  own  work,  did  more  to  arouse 
the  "Old  School,"  and  consolidate  their  strength,  than 
even  the  alleged  ingress  of  doctrinal  error. 

From  the  earliest  years  of  her  history  in  this  land,  at  the 
close  of  the  sixteenth  and  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  her  ministers  and  her  Presbyteries  gave  attention 
to  educating  at  home,  or  procuring  from  abroad,  ministers 
to  supply  the  increasing  destitutions,  so  that  the  cause  of 
education  and  of  home  missions  was  coeval  with  the  found- 
ing of  our  denomination.  The  proposal  to  take  this  work 
out  of  the  hands  of  the  church  herself  and  to  consign  it  to 
the  agency  of  Voluntary  Societies,  not  amenable  to  the 
church  courts,  and  beyond  the  control  of  her  spiritual 
authorities,  seemed  like  surrendering  the  Keys  of  the  King- 
dom, and  it  startled  those  who  clung  to  the  ancient  usages 
of  the  church,  and  did  more  to  unite  them  in  opposition 
to  the  alleged  innovations  than  any  other  one  cause.  And 
as  this  proposal  seemed  to  be  a  part  of  an  extended  pro- 
gramme by  which,  as  they  feared,  errors  in  doctrine  and 
changes  in  ecclesiastical  government  were  being  widely  and 
rapidly  propagated,  a  firm  resistance  to  that  scheme  was 
aroused. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  authors  and  advocates  of  this 
scheme,  deeming,  no  doubt,  that  the  best  interests  of  re- 
ligion would  be  promoted  by  the  proposed  innovations, 
pressed  them  with  ardor,  vigor,  and  adroitness. 

That  the  church  courts  always  claimed  to  be  missionary 
organizations  is  fully  avouched  by  the  records.  The  first 
Presbytery,  as  we  have  seen,  assumed  and  acted  upon  the 
claim.  The  Synod  did  the  same.  And  when  the  General 
Assembly  was  organized,  the  right  and  the  duty  of  the 
church  courts  to  prosecute  and  control  evangelical  work 
was  distinctly  asserted  in  the  XVIII.  chapter  of  the  Form 
of  Government.  That  chapter  gives  to  each  Presbytery 
the  right  to  supervise  missions  within  its  own  bounds ;  re- 


ECCLESIASTICAL    CONTROL.  189 

quires  of  every  missionary  coming  within  its  bounds  to 
"be  ready  to  produce  his  credentials  to  the  Presbytery 
through  which  he  may  pass;"  and  declares  that  "the 
General  Assembly  may,  of  their  own  knowledge,  send  mis- 
sions to  any  part  to  plant  churches,  or  to  supply  vacancies," 
etc.  And  it  was  a  conceded  doctrine,  that  the  Assembly 
had  supreme  control  over  the  whole  subject  of  missions; 
for,  so  early  as  1791,  when,  on  account  of  their  distance 
and  the  peculiar  condition  of  the  currency  in  the  Southern 
States,  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  wished  to  collect  and 
disburse  their  own  missionary  funds,  they  applied  to  the 
General  Assembly,  and  permission  was  formally  granted. 
It  was  "Resolved  that  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  be 
allowed  to  manage  the  matter  of  sending  missionaries  to 
destitute  places,  .  .  .  provided  that  the  Synod  shall 
send  annually  to  the  General  Assembly  a  particular  account 
of  their  proceedings  on  the  above  subject,  and  a  regular 
statement  of  the  money  that  may  be  collected  and  dis- 
bursed."    [Minutes  of  1791,  p.  38."] 

With  such  provision  in  the  written  constitution  of  the 
church,  and  with  such  a  history  before  them,  it  is  not  mat- 
ter of  surprise  that  the  "  Old  School"  should  be  unwilling, 
that  the  great  principle  of  ecclesiastical  responsibility  and 
control  should  be  either  ignored  or  denied.  It  was  under 
the  operation  of  ecclesiastical  control  and  organization  that 
the  little  germ,  planted  by  Makemie,  Simpson,  Riddel, 
and  their  companions,  had  grown  to  be  a  luxuriant  vine, 
overshadowing  the  land  ;  and  they  were  unwilling  to  relin- 
quish a  system  under  which  such  blessed  results  had  been 
realized.  The  Mother  Presbytery,  four  years  after  her 
organization,  assumed  the  control  of  the  education  of  a 
candidate  for  the  ministry,  David  Evans.  [See  Records.] 
In  1 71 7  a  "Fund  for  pious  uses"  was  formed.  In  1771  a 
systematic  plan  for  educating  candidates  was  adopted  by 
the  General  Synod ;  and  the  work  of  training  and  sending 


190  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

forth  ministers  to  evangelize  the  rapidly  growing  popula- 
tion was  carried  steadily  on. 

Nor  was  the  Foreign  Missionary  work  neglected.  In 
1751,  in  view  of  "the  exigencies  of  the  great  affair  of 
propagating  the  gospel  among  the  heathen,"  a  standing 
order  was  issued  that  a  collection  be  made  in  each  of  the 
churches,  once  a  year,  for  that  object.  The  Rev.  John 
Brainerd  was  supported  as  a  missionary  among  the  Indians 
of  New  Jersey  by  this  fund,  until  his  death  in  1781. 

After  the  organization  of  the  General  Assembly,  that 
body  for  a  long  time  transacted  missionary  business  whilst 
in  session.  But,  on  account  of  the  long  intervals  between 
its  sessions,  and  the  growing  importance  of  the  missionary 
work,  it  was  deemed  expedient  to  appoint  a  standing  Com- 
mittee on  Missions,  to  collect  and  arrange  information  for 
the  Assembly.  This  was  done  in  1802.  This  Committee 
was  appointed  from  year  to  year ;  its  powers  were  gradu- 
ally increased,  until,  in  1816,  its  name  was  changed  to 
"The  Board  of  Missions,"  and  the  whole  business  of 
missions  committed  to  it,  subject  to  the  direction  and  con- 
trol of  the  Assembly,  to  which  it  was  required  annually  to 
report. 

As  early  as  1805,  the  attention  of  the  Assembly  was  en- 
gaged in  efforts  to  increase  facilities  for  the  education  of 
young  men  for  the  ministry.  The  Presbyteries  were 
earnestly  urged  to  increase  their  zeal  in  this  work,  and  to 
report  their  transactions  to  the  Assembly  annually.  These 
movements,  whilst  they  increased  the  educational  efforts, 
did  not  produce  results  adequate  to  the  necessities  of  the 
church  and  country. 

In  18 1 5,  a  voluntary  association,  called  the  American 
Educational  Society,  was  organized  at  Boston,  which  made 
vigorous  exertions  to  unite  all  the  evangelical  denomina- 
tions of  the  country  in  a  grand  educational  movement 
under  its  auspices.     And  at  one  time  there  seemed  a  like- 


AMERICAN  EDUCATIONAL    SOCIETY. 


191 


lihood  that  this  society  would  grasp  all  the  funds,  and  con- 
trol the  entire  work  of  educating  men  for  the  ministry. 
Good  men  in  all  the  evangelical  churches,  who  were  not 
posted  in  regard  to  the  progress  of  the  New  Theology,  were 
ready  to  hail  this  movement  as  the  harbinger  of  glorious 
things  for  Zion.  Even  the  subject  of  this  memoir  joined 
heart  and  hand  in  furthering  the  interests  of  this  society, 
in  the  region  in  which  his  first  pastorate  was  exercised. 
But  leading  minds  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  who  lived 
nearer  to  the  centres  of  information  and  better  understood 
the  tendency  of  things,  were  alarmed  at  the  idea  of  a 
society  whose  centre  of  operations  lay  beyond  the  bound- 
aries of  the  church,  and  over  which  the  church  had  no 
control,  being  permitted  to  have  the  training  of  her  future 
ministry.  They  saw  danger  in  consigning  this  very  im- 
portant part  of  the  work  of  the  church  to  irresponsible 
hands.  And  they  were  especially  alarmed  at  the  palpable 
fact,  that  most  of  the  men  who  controlled  the  management 
of  this  society  were  identified  with  a  type  of  theology 
different,  in  many  important  points,  from  that  embodied 
in  the  standards  of  the  church. 

And  as  this  Education  Society  was  chiefly  under  Con- 
gregational control,  and  as  the  Home  Missionary  Society 
was  located  in  New  York,  and  was  also  largely  under  the 
same  sort  of  control,  they  apprehended  that  the  one  Society 
would  train  preachers  of  a  particular  type  of  Theology, 
and  with  loose  views  of  church  order,  and  the  other  Society, 
standing  as  it  were  at  the  door  of  entrance  to  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  would  scatter  them  broadcast  through  the 
church,  to  the  imperilling  of  her  doctrine  and  order.  And 
the  Old  School  believed  that  this  process  had  already 
been  carried  on,  and  that,  unless  arrested,  it  would  revolu- 
tionize the  church,  and  give  permanent  ascendency  to  the 
New  Theology,  and  to  the  control  of  the  Voluntary  associa- 
tions.    This  result  they  were  honest  in  deploring  as  disas- 


i92  LIFE    OF  DR.  GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

trous,  for  they  sincerely  believed  that  the  cause  of  true 
religion,  at  home  and  abroad,  would  be  injured  by  the 
propagation  of  the  new  views. 

We  are  not  disposed  to  attribute  to  the  great  body 
of  the  New  School  party  in  the  church  a  deliberate 
purpose  to  effect  the  revolution,  which  the  other  party 
dreaded.  Nor  do  we  suppose,  that  even  a  majority  of 
them  suspected  that  such  a  revolution  was  designed  by  their 
leaders.  Indeed,  it  is  probable  that,  if  the  scheme  was 
laid  for  the  purpose,  as  the  Old  School  alleged,  the>  plan 
was  known  only  to  the  few  shrewd  and  energetic  minds 
who  had  somehow  been  placed  at  the  head  of  the  move- 
ment, and  of  the  organizations  by  which  it  was  to  be  car- 
ried out.  And  it  is  now  matter  of  history,  that  many 
of  these  belonged  to  the  Congregational  element  in  the 
church,  and  actually  withdrew  from  the  New  School  body, 
after  the  division  took  place,  and  returned  to  a  more  con- 
genial ecclesiastical  connection. 

The  writer  of  these  pages  was  a  pastor  in  the  city  of 
Washington  at  the  time  the  New  School  General  Assembly 
met  in  that  city  in  1852.  And  he  well  remembers,  that  the 
chief  portion  of  the  time  of  the  Assembly  was  occupied  in 
an  ardent  discussion  of  some  of  the  very  questions  which 
had  originally  divided  them  from  the  Old  School  in  1830- 
1837, — the  questions  of  ecclesiastical  control  of  education 
and  missions  versus  the  control  of  voluntary  societies.  He 
distinctly  remembers,  that  the  late  venerable  Dr.  George 
Dufheld  approached  him,  as  he  sat  listening  to  the  discus- 
sions, and  whispered,  "You  see,  Dr.  Junkin,  that  we  are 
here  discussing  among  ourselves  the  very  questions  over 
which  we  battled  with  you  fifteen  years  ago."  They  dis- 
cussed them  ably.  The  original  pronounced  Presbyterians 
were  generally  found  advocating  ecclesiastical  control;  and 
these  views  gradually  gained  ground,  until  our  New  School 
brethren  fully  adopted  them,  and  reduced  them  to  practice 


RESULTS  IN  BOTH  SCHOOLS. 


l93 


in  the  organization  of  church  Boards  or  Committees.  The 
element  that  was  adverse  to  this  reform  had  been  gradually 
sloughing  off  from  the  body;  and  continued  to  do  so 
until  it  became,  previous  to  the  late  reunion,  quite  a 
thoroughly  homogeneous  Presbyterian  body. 

And  with  this  foreign  element,  it  cannot  be  doubted, 
there  was  carried  out  of  that  branch  of  the  church  much 
of  that  fondness  for  a  novel  terminology  in  Theology, 
which  had  awakened  the  apprehensions  of  the  Old  School, 
and  which  led  to  the  agitations  which  resulted  in  disrup- 
tion. 

If  this  statement  be  historically  true, — and  we  think  no 
man  thoroughly  posted  will  deny  it, — it  proves  two  things: 
First,  That  there  did  exist  serious  and  grave  causes,  doc- 
trinal and  ecclesiastical,  for  the  troubles  of  1830-1837, 
causes  which  earnest  and  honest  men  of  the  Old  School 
views  could  not  conscientiously  ignore;  and  Second, 
That  these  causes  have  been,  in  the  progress  of  events, 
almost,  if  not  wholly,  removed ;  so  that  the  Reunion  was 
almost  as  inevitable  a  result  of  the  course  of  things,  as  the 
Disruption  was  at  the  time  it  occurred. 

*7 


CHAPTER    XX. 

History  of  Doctrinal  Opinion — English  Presbyterianism  always  Defective — 
Man  of  Straw — Congregatio-Presbyterianism  of  New  England — Effect 
upon  Doctrinal  Opinion — New  Terminology  and  its  Probable  Causes — 
American  Presbyterianism  of  Scottish  Origin — The  "Adopting  Act" — 
Ingress  of  New  Theology — Hopkinsianism — Semi-Pelagianism — -Taylor- 
ism — State  of  Parties. 

IT  will  not  be  necessary  to  the  completeness  of  this 
memoir,  to  give  a  full  history  of  the  doctrinal  opinions 
involved  in  the  controversy  in  which  Dr.  Junkin  bore 
a  part.  It  is  in  itself  a  very  interesting  one,  running 
back  into  the  seventeenth  century ;  for  the  pedigree  of 
opinion  is  as  distinctly  traceable  as  are  the  genealogies  of 
men.  Views  of  doctrine  in  one  generation  are  influenced 
by  those  held  in  a  preceding  one ;  and  he  has  but  shallow 
conceptions  of  the  philosophy  of  thought  who  ignores  this 
connection.  In  the  troublous  times  succeeding  the  great 
Civil  Revolution  in  England  the  church  was  tossed  upon  the 
billows  of  civil  commotion,  and  was  in  a  state  distracted 
and  unsettled.  Although  the  Westminster  Assembly  had 
adopted  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  the  Presbyterian  form 
of  government,  and  the  Long  Parliament  had  given  it  a 
modified  sanction,  yet  there  was  never  a  general  accept- 
ance of  either  in  England.  In  some  cases,  those  of  the 
clergy  who  were  Presbyterian  in  sentiment,  organized  into 
Presbyteries ;  but  such  organization  never  became  general. 
The  Protector,  being  an  Independent,  threw  all  the  weight 
of  his  influence  against  Presbyterianism ;  and,  upon  the 
restoration  of  the  Stuarts,  the  Presbyterians  were  objects 
of  violent  persecution,  so  that  the  people  usually  called 
Presbyterians  never  were  fully  such  in  the  sense  in  which 
(194) 


ENGLISH  PRESBYTERIANISM  DEFECTIVE. 


*95 


that  term  is  now  understood.  There  never  was  a  general 
organization  of  the  people  thus  denominated  ;  nor  did  any- 
considerable  number  of  them  so  adhere  to  the  Westminster 
Symbols,  as  to  be  entitled  to  be  called  Presbyterians  in  the 
sense  in  which  the  Church  of  Scotland,  or  the  American 
Church,  is  called  Presbyterian.  There  was  no  such  organiza- 
tion among  them  as  could  hold  any  minister  responsible  for 
departures  from  the  Standards  of  Westminster.  They  had 
really  no  church  authority,  except  such  as  might  be  volun- 
tarily yielded.  Persecuted  whenever  they  assumed  publicity, 
and  many  of  them  subjected  to  the  licentious  influences 
of  the  reign  of  the  second  Charles,  they  had,  by  the  time 
the  Act  of  Toleration  under  William  of  Orange  gave  them 
respite  from  persecution,  lost  almost  everything  distinctive 
of  Presbyterianism  but  the  name.  As  a  people  they  really 
had  never  fully  understood  the  Presbyterian  system,  and 
had  never  been  trained  to  a  stalwart  maintenance  of  its 
principles.  The  pressure  of  political  circumstances,  and 
the  attraction  of  fellowship  in  common  dangers  and  perse- 
cutions, had  drawn  them  and  the  Independents  together ; 
and  the  result  was,  in  many  cases,  an  amalgamation  of  the 
two  systems,  constituting  modern  Congregationalism.  Of 
course,  in  a  state  of  things  so  little  favorable  to  the  exercise 
of  church  authority,  little  restraint  could  be  laid  upon  error 
in  doctrine,  and  little  or  no  discipline  exercised  for  depart- 
ures from  the  orthodox  faith. 

From  this  statement,  which  cannot  be  truthfully  gain- 
said, two  positions  are  deducible, — ist.  That  the  indis- 
criminate charges  made  by  writers  of  English  history 
against  the  Presbyterians,  are  made  against  a  man  of  straw, 
— a  body  that  never  had  either  organized  existence  or 
organized  political  power ;  that  such  allegations  apply  to 
persons  who  were  in  no  sense  true  Presbyterians;  and 
therefore,  whether  true  or  false,  as  to  fact,  are  slanders 
upon  Presbyterians ;  and  2d.  That  it  was  to  be  expected 


196  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

that  colonists,  coming  from  such  a  state  of  things  in  the  Old 
World,  would  be  likely  to  transfer  it  to  the  New.  Accord- 
ingly we  find  that,  although  a  majority  of  the  colonists  of 
New  England  were  Independents,  there  was  an  admixture 
of  that  sort  of  Presbyterianism  that  existed  in  England.  In 
reply  to  inquiries  made  by  the  Lords  of  Trade  and  Planta- 
tions concerning  the  colonists,  and  their  condition  and  pros- 
pects, the  authorities  of  the  colony  of  Connecticut  stated  (in 
1680)  that  "some  are  strict  Congregational  men,  others  more 
large  Congregational  men,  and  some  moderate  Presbyte- 
rians. "*  And  what  was  true  of  Connecticut  was  true  also  of 
Massachusetts,  and  to  some  extent  of  all  New  England.  No 
wonder  that,  with  such  elements  of  religious  society,  the 
effort  to  combine  them  should  result  in  various  compromises, 
ranging  from  the  civico-ecclesiastical  platform  of  Cambridge 
to  the  semi-Presbyterian  one  of  Saybrook.  Doubtless  the 
sparseness  of  population,  and  the  difficulty  of  maintaining 
ordinances  in  a  new  country,  were  motives  for  sacrificing  ex- 
treme views  of  church  order,  and  originating  the  peculiar 
Congregatio-Presbyterianism  of  New  England.  And  the 
union  of  the  two,  thus  effected  in  the  colonies,  was  imitated 
in  the  mother-country;  and,  under  the  influence  of  the  Rev. 
Increase  Mather,  a  union  of  Presbyterians,  Baptists,  and 
Independents  was  formed  in  London,  and  in  other  parts 
of  the  kingdom,  in  1690,  under  articles  entitled  "Heads 
of  Agreement,  "f 

Of  course,  in  such  an  amalgam  distinctive  Presbyterian- 
ism would  be  neutralized ;  and  pronounced  adherence  to 
accurate  doctrinal  statement  would  be  relinquished.  A 
zeal  for  union  that  could  bring  together  such  elements, 
would  make  large  demands  for  the  surrender  of  doctrinal 
opinions;  whilst,  in  the  discussions  necessary  to  effect  such 

*  Hinman's  Antiquities  of  Connecticut,  p.  141. 

|   Bogue  and  Bennet,  vol.  i.  p.  381 ;  and  Magnalia  Americana,  vol.  ii.  p. 
233- 


THE   NEW  THEOLOGY.  197 

a  union,  a  fondness  for  speculation  would  be  fostered,  and 
skill  therein  acquired.  Such  a  habitude  theological  would 
be  favorable  to  the  truth  in  well-balanced  minds  that  were 
truly  led  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  But  in  minds  less  logical, 
and  of  less  decided  piety,  the  spirit  of  speculation  was  apt 
to  conduct  to  results  hurtful  to  sound  doctrine  and  practi- 
cal piety. 

The  reader,  if  he  choose  to  examine,  may  find  in  Ma- 
ther's Magnalia  Americana  (vol.  i.  p.  266  et  a/.)  proof  that 
a  number  of  the  very  questions  that  agitated  the  church 
in  1 830-1  S3 7  were  discussed  in  the  days  of  Increase  Mather 
and  Richard  Baxter  ;  some  of  the  orthodox  New  England 
divines  deploring  and  protesting  against  Baxter's  denial 
of  the  doctrine  of  Adam's  and  Christ's  covenant  Headship 
and  representative  character.  And  whilst,  in  later  days,  a 
new  theological  nomenclature  has  been  adopted  by  the 
abettors  of  what  has  been  termed  the  New  Theology,  yet 
most  of  the  dogmas  thereof  can  be  found  in  the  earlier 
disquisitions  to  which  reference  has  been  made.  There  is 
little  doubt  that,  in  many  cases,  the  adoption  of  new 
terms  and  new  modes  of  statement  was  prompted  by  the 
amiable  wish  to  render  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  less 
objectionable  to  the  natural  man,  and  less  assailable  by 
cavilers.  Whilst  in  others,  it  is  to  be  feared,  dislike  to 
the  sterner  and  less  palatable  truths  prompted  the  effort  to 
assail  them.  The  desire  to  make  "the  offence  of  the  Cross 
to  cease,"  by  softening  or  denying  such  of  its  doctrines  as 
rouse  the  hostility  of  the  carnal  heart,  led,  in  many  cases, 
good  men  to  abet  the  New  Theology ;  whilst  less  com- 
mendable motives  may  have  prompted  others. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  was 
founded,  and,  in  its  earlier  years,  replenished,  by  men  who 
had  been  trained  in  Scotland  and  in  Ireland,  under  the 
Westminster  Standards,  in  their  stricter  interpretation. 
At  an   earlv  period  ('1729s)  the  Mother  Svnod  passed  the 

*7* 


i98  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN, 

Adopting  Act,  by  which  those  Standards,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  chapters  relating  to  the  power  of  the  civil 
magistrate  in  ecclesiastical  matters,  were  fully  received  as 
the  Confession  of  Faith,  Form  of  Government,  Book  of 
Discipline,  and  Directory  for  Worship  of  the  Church  in 
America;  and  that  Act,  together  with  the  circumstances 
of  its  adoption,  makes  it  perfectly  plain  that  the  Calvinism 
of  Westminster,  and  no  modification  of  it,  was  the  the- 
ology of  our  Church.  And  whilst  the  Calvinism  of  New 
England  was  generally  as  thorough  as  that  of  Westminster, 
yet  departures  therefrom  were  to  be  found  in  many  indi- 
vidual cases ;  and  the  loose  ecclesiastical  system,  which  we 
have  described,  did  not  possess  power  to  check  or  eliminate 
it.  At  an  early  period,  some  of  the  new  views  in  theology 
began  to  be  introduced  into  the  bounds  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  by  the  processes  already  described. 

The  first  importation  that  excited  apprehension  was 
Hopkinsianism,  so  called  from  the  Rev.  Samuel  Hopkins, 
D.D.,  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  who,  in  1793,  na<^  published  his 
"System  of  Doctrines."  From  that  time  forward  other 
"New  Views  in  Theology,"  of  various  shades,  arose  in 
New  England.  The  great  Unitarian  heresy,  and  the  semi- 
Pelagianism  that  led  to  it,  had  agitated  and  torn  the 
churches  of  New  England  ;  and  even  among  divines  who 
resisted  that  heresy,  opinions,  which  many  believed  to  be 
subversive  of  the  Augustinian  faith,  were  promulgated. 
Finally  arose  the  school  of  New  Haven,  with  Dr.  Taylor 
as  its  leader;  and  the  conflict  of  opinion  waxed  warmer, 
both  in  New  England  itself,  and  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  here  to  give  in  detail  the  opin- 
ions that  furnished  the  staple  of  these  controversies.  They 
will  be  sufficiently  brought  out  in  the  history  of  the  great 
trial,  which  resulted  in  defining  with  precision  the  doc- 
trinal positions  occupied  by  the  two  Schools,  into  which 
the  church  was  unhappily  divided,  and  in  which  final  trial 


STATE    OF  PAH  TIES. 


199 


Dr.  Junkin  was  the  prosecutor.  We  shall  begin  that  his- 
tory in  the  next  chapter ;  but,  before  closing  this,  will 
repeat  what  we  have  said  in  another  form,  that  we  are  far 
from  supposing  that  a  majority  of  our  New  School  brethren 
had  adopted  the  alleged  errors ;  nor  indeed  that  any  very 
large  number  had  adopted  the  more  dangerous  and  offensive 
features  of  the  "New  Divinity."  The  Old  School  held 
that  that  Divinity  ought  not  to  be  taught  by  ministers  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  that  ministers  who  held  it 
ought  not  to  come  into,  or  to  be  tolerated  in,  the  church. 
Many  of  the  New  School,  who  did  not  receive  the  New 
Divinity,  were  willing  to  tolerate  those  who  did ;  whilst 
others  were  slow  to  be  convinced  that  these  doctrines 
were  held  by  those  accused  of  them,  and  others  still,  could 
not  deem  them  so  dangerous  as  to  demand  discipline. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

Things  necessary  to  the  Vindication  of  the  Prosecutor  of  Mr.  Barnes — The 
First  Trial  of  Mr.  Barnes,  and  Events  antecedent  to  the  Second — History 
of  his  Case — Referred  to  the  General  Assembly — Complaints  of  Minority 
— Progress  of  the  Conflict  about  Home  Missions — Assembly  of  1831 — 
How  constituted — Its  Acts — Opinion  of  a  New  England  Delegate — Right 
to  be  heard  denied— Mr.  McCalla — Mr.  Breckenridge. 

IT  has  already  been  said  that  no  clergyman  in  the  ranks 
of  the  Old  School,  was  the  object  of  intenser  anim- 
adversion, on  the  part  of  opponents,  than  was  Dr.  Junkin  ; 
and  none  of  them  made  such  sacrifices  of  private  interests, 
personal  feeling,  bodily  and  intellectual  toil,  and  public 
consideration. 

In  order,  then,  to  vindicate  the  purity  of  his  motives 
and  the  unselfishness  of  his  aims,  it  will  not  suffice  to  make 
mere  assertions  and  express  opinions,  without  adducing 
the  proofs  furnished  by  the  facts  of  the  history  of  that 
period.  Into  these,  therefore,  we  must  go  with  a  particu- 
larity which  we  would  gladly  otherwise  avoid.  And  yet, 
the  truth  of  history  requires  that  they  be  placed  on  record. 

The  first  troubles  that  arose  in  the  church,  in  connection 
with  the  translation  of  the  Rev.  Albert  Barnes  from  Mor- 
ristown  to  Philadelphia,  and  the  first  trial  of  that  minister, 
have  been  briefly  mentioned  in  a  previous  chapter.  With 
that  trial  Dr.  Junkin  had  very  little  to  do, — nothing,  in- 
deed, except  what  has  been  related.  A  more  detailed 
account  will  be  necessary,  in  order  fairly  to  understand 
the  necessity  for,  and  the  importance  of,  the  second  trial 
of  that  distinguished  pastor  and  writer,  in  which  Dr. 
Junkin  was  the  prosecutor. 
(  200  ) 


CHARGES  AGAINST  MR.  BARNES.  20 1 

When  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Philadelphia,  ex- 
tended a  call  to  Mr.  Barnes,  the  congregation  had  never 
heard  him  preach,  and  in  the  call  the  usual  formulary 
''from  our  past  experience  of  your  ministrations  among 
us"  was  omitted.  The  call  was  confessedly  based  upon 
the  favorable  report  of  a  committee  which  had  gone  to 
Morristown  to  hear  him,  and  upon  the  merits  of  the 
published  sermon,  or  "  The  Way  of  Salvation,"  already 
mentioned.*  This  sermon,  as  some  of  the  members  of 
Presbytery  alleged,  contained  errors  in  doctrine,  which 
they  deemed  fundamental.  Mr.  Gillett  admits  that  it 
"contained  expressions  which  some  of  his  (Mr.  Barnes') 
friends  regretted,  "f 

When  the  call  was  presented  to  the  Presbytery,  and 
leave  was  asked  to  prosecute  it,  objections  were  made  upon 
these  grounds,  and  because  but  fifty  out  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty  votes  had  been  given  for  Mr.  Barnes.*  Yet  leave 
was  granted  by  a  small  majority.  At  a  pro  re  nata  meet- 
ing subsequently  held  (June  18),  for  the  purpose  of  receiv- 
ing Mr.  Barnes,  and,  if  the  way  should  be  clear,  installing 
him  as  pastor,  opposition  was  made  to  his  reception  on 
the  grounds  of  doctrinal  errors  avowed  in  the  above-men- 
tioned sermon.  Dr.  Ely  moved  that  the  motion  to  receive 
should  be  postponed,  in  order  to  give  to  any  member  of 
Presbytery  an  opportunity  of  asking  Mr.  Barnes  for  an  expla- 
nation of  his  doctrinal  views.  This  motion  was  negatived 
(20  to  18),  and  Mr.  Barnes  was  received  as  a  member.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Hoff  then  presented  charges  of  holding  erroneous 
doctrines  against  Mr.  Barnes  in  bar  of  his  installation.  The 
Moderator  pronounced  them  out  of  order.  Dr.  Ely  ap- 
pealed from  this  decision,  but  the  majority  sustained  the 
ruling  of  the  Moderator,  and  Mr.  Barnes  was  installed. 


*  Min.  Syn.  Phila.,  1831,  p.  5. 

f  Hist.  Presbyterian  Church,  vol.  ii.  p.  460. 


202  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

Against  this  action  of  the  Presbytery,  the  venerable  Dr. 
Ashbel  Green,  and  twelve  others,  complained  to  the  Synod 
of  Philadelphia;  and  the  decision  of  the  Synod,  made  in 
October,  1831,  has  been  recorded  in  a  previous  chapter. 
The  Synod  censured  the  Presbytery,  and  directed  them  to 
take  up  and  issue  the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes,  and  adjudicate  it 
fairly.  Mention  has  been  also  made  of  the  effort  of  the 
majority  of  Presbytery  to  press  the  case  through  in  the  ab- 
sence of  most  of  the  Old  School  members,  at  a  meeting 
held  some  twenty-five  hours  after  the  adjournment  of 
Synod.  That  effort  was  followed  by  a  series  of  acts  which, 
whether  justly  or  not,  the  Old  School  deemed  dilatory, 
evasive,  and  calculated  to  defeat  the  ends  of  discipline. 
In  these  discussions,  the  Old  School  members  claimed  that 
Presbytery  had  a  right  to  decide  upon  the  orthodoxy  of 
Mr.  Barnes'  sermon,  apart  from  formal  judicial  process. 
The  New  School  members  insisted  that  a  judicial  process 
against  the  author  was  necessary  before  this  could  be  right- 
fully done.  Three  days  were  consumed  in  the  discussions  ; 
and,  as  the  opposers  of  the  New  Theology  were  now  in  the 
majority  in  the  Presbytery,  they  were  about  to  proceed  to 
examine  the  sermon,  with  a  view  to  judge  of  its  conformity 
or  non-conformity  to  the  Bible  and  the  Standards,  when  the 
minority  entered  a  protest,  declaring  the  proposed  course 
unconstitutional,  and  saying  that,  if  persisted  in,  "the 
undersigned  must  withdraw  from  all  participation  in  such 
proceedings,  and  complain  to  the  next  General  Assembly." 
Notwithstanding  this  threat  to  withdraw,  the  signers  of  the 
protest  continued  to  exercise  freely  the  right  to  speak  and 
vote  on  all  questions  of  order,  and  to  embarrass  the  pro- 
ceedings. And  they  asked  and  obtained  from  Presbytery 
the  right  to  dissent,  protest,  and  complain  against  the  acts 
of  Presbytery,  a  thing  which,  without  permission,  such 
recusants  could  not  lawfully  have  done. 

When  the  examination  of  the  sermon  was  beginning,  Mr. 


COMPLAINT   TO    GENERAL    ASSEMBLY. 


203 


Barnes  asked  whether  he  had  a  right  to  appeal  to  the  As- 
sembly, and  thus  arrest  proceedings.  Being  answered  that 
such  appeal  would  not  be  orderly,  he  presented  a  paper, 
acknowledging  the  authorship  of  the  sermon,  and  offering 
himself  for  trial.  This  offer  the  Presbytery  declined  to 
receive,  for  reasons  stated  in  their  minutes.  Mr.  Barnes  then 
asked  leave  of  absence.  He  said  he  felt  confident  that  he 
could  so  explain  his  sermon  as  to  satisfy  the  Presbytery  that 
it  was  in  harmony  with  the  Confession  of  Faith ;  but,  after 
consultation  with  his  friends,  he  had  determined  not  to  do 
it  then.  Dr.  Green  most  earnestly  besought  him,  after  leave 
of  absence  had  been  voted,  to  remain,  and  give  the  expla- 
nations which  he  said  he  was  able  to  do,  and  thus  promote 
the  peace  of  the  church.     This  he  did  not  do. 

The  Presbytery  then  proceeded  to  examine  the  sermon, 
and,  after  a  careful  discussion  and  analysis  of  it,  a  paper, 
presented  by  Dr.  Green,  was  read  by  paragraphs,  amended, 
and  adopted.  In  this  paper  it  was  affirmed  that  the  sermon 
contained  dangerous  doctrinal  errors,  especially  upon  the 
points  of  original  sin,  the  atonement,  and  justification. 

It  was  then  moved  "That  Dr.  Green,  Mr.  McCalla,  and 
Mr.  Latta  be  a  committee  to  wait  on  Mr.  Barnes  to  com- 
municate to  him  the  result  of  the  deliberations  of  Presby- 
tery in  the  examination  of  his  sermon,  and  to  converse 
with  him  freely  and  affectionately  on  the  points  excepted 
to  in  that  sermon,  in  the  hope  and  expectation  that  the 
interview  will  result  in  removing  or  diminishing  the  diffi- 
culties that  have  arisen  in  his  case,  and  that  they  report 
the  next  meeting  of  Presbytery." 

The  minority  opposed  this  motion  as  involving  a  direct 
insult  to  Mr.  Barnes.  It  was,  however,  adopted,  and  the 
minority  gave  notice  of  complaint  against  this  action  to 
the  General  Assembly.  At  an  early  period  after  their 
appointment,  the  committee  sought  an  interview  with  Mr. 
Barnes  at  his  study.      He  received  them  in  a  courteous 


204  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

manner,  but  refused  to  hold  any  converse  with  them  as  a 
committee,  expressing,  however,  a  willingness  to  converse 
with  them  as  individuals  in  a  private  capacity ;  and,  when 
they  were  about  departing,  he  handed  to  them  a  paper,  in 
which  he  assigned,  as  reasons  for  his  refusal,  the  alleged 
unconstitutionality  of  the  proceedings  of  Presbytery,  and 
his  unwillingness  to  recognize  their  binding  force. 

In  April,  1831,  the  committee  reported  these  facts  to  the 
Presbytery,  with  Mr.  Barnes'  written  answer.  After  some 
deliberation,  the  Presbytery  referred  the  whole  case  to  the 
General  Assembly.  This  reference  may  be  found  in  extenso 
in  the  minutes  of  the  Presbytery,  and,  by  those  who  have 
not  access  to  them,  in  the  Assembly's  Digest,  pp.  654-55. 
Besides  asking  the  Assembly  to  decide  the  case  of  Mr. 
Barnes,  this  reference  respectfully  asked  the  General  As- 
sembly to  decide  four  other  questions  relating  to  the  rights 
and  duties  of  Presbyterians,  under  the  constitution  of  the 
church,  viz.  : 

1.  The  question  whether,  when  a  minister  presented 
clean  papers  from  another  Presbytery,  the  Presbytery  to 
which  he  applied  was  bound  to  receive  him  without  exami- 
nation, or  whether  they  had  a  right  to  examine  him? 

2.  Whether  it  is  competent  for  a  Presbytery  to  take  up, 
examine,  and  pronounce  upon  the  doctrines  of  any  printed 
publication,  and  declare  them  to  be  dangerous  and  erro- 
neous or  otherwise,  without  instituting  formal  trial  of  its 
author,  in  case  he  be  a  member  of  their  body? 

3.  Do  the  doctrinal  standards  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  embrace  the  Larger  and  Shorter  Catechisms ;  or  is 
the  Confession  of  Faith  alone  obligatory? 

Along  with  this  reference  by  the  majority  (O.  S.)  of  the 
Presbytery,  there  went  up  to  the  Assembly  sundry  com- 
plaints from  the  minority,  against  the  action  of  the  Pres- 
bytery. It  was  alleged  by  the  Old  School,  that  these 
complaints  were  designed  to  prevent  the  decision  of  the 


COMPLAINTS    OF  MINORITY. 


205 


doctrinal  and  ordinal  questions,  contained  in  the  reference, 
by  the  whole  undivided  Assembly.  They  (the  complainants) 
had  made  the  effort  to  convert  the  Presbytery  of  Philadel- 
phia into  a  party,  and  thus  exclude  their  commissioners 
from  a  vote.  And  this  use  was  made  of  the  complaints  in 
the  Assembly  of  1831. 

In  that  General  Assembly  the  New  School  had  a  small 
majority,  and  elected  Dr.  Beman  Moderator,  who,  of  course, 
had  the  shaping  of  the  judicial  and  other  committees.  All 
the  papers,  the  reference,  and  the  complaints  appear  to 
have  been  referred  to  the  judicial  committee,  which  re- 
ported the  complaint  of  the  minority  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia.  The  whole  proceedings  of  the  Presbytery  in 
the  case  were  read ;  and  also  the  sermon  of  Mr.  Barnes ; 
the  parties  submitted  the  case  without  argument ;  and  it 
was  resolved  to  refer  the  whole  case  to  a  select  committee. 
Drs.  Miller,  Matthews,  Lansing,  Fisk,  Spring,  and 
McDowell,  Mr.  Bacon  (delegate  from  the  Association 
of  Connecticut),  Mr.  Ross,  Mr.  Elisha  White,  with  Elders 
Jessup  and  Napier,  were  appointed  this  committee. 

It  is  worthy  of  record,  because  it  throws  light  upon  the 
animus  of  the  men  now  unhappily  arrayed  into  parties,  in 
the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  that,  in  their  complaint  to 
the  Assembly,  the  minority  (N.  S.)  acknowledge  that  they 
were  wrong  in  sustaining  the  decision  of  their  Moderator, 
by  which  the  charges  preferred  by  Mr.  Hoff  and  others 
against  Mr.  Barnes,  at  the  time  of  his  reception,  and  be- 
fore his  installation,  were  pronounced  out  of  order  and 
refused.  Their  language  is, — "  This  decision,  the  under- 
signed, of  whom  the  Moderator  referred  to  is  one,  now 
judge  to  have  been  incorrect,  because  that  special  meeting 
was  called,  not  only  to  receive  Mr.  Barnes,  but  to  transact 
any  business  relative  to  his  installation.  These  charges 
should  have  been  constitutionally  disposed  of,  either  by 
declaring  them  irrelevant,  or  by  taking  the  requisite  steps 

iS 


206  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

for  trying  Mr.  Barnes  on  the  same."*  The  Old  School 
alleged  at  the  time,  that  this  confession  of  error,  by  which 
they,  the  then  minority,  had  been  deprived  of  their  rights, 
was  part  of  a  change  in  the  general  plan  now  adopted  for 
the  evasion  of  an  explicit  decision  of  the  doctrinal  ques- 
tion. At  first,  the  friends  of  Mr.  Barnes  resisted  the  con- 
demnation of  the  book, — then  they  rejected  charges  against 
the  man;  but  when  the  book  was  likely  to  come  under  the 
judgment  of  the  General  Assembly,  they  called  for  a  trial 
of  the  man  instead,  and  as  this  demand  was  inconsistent 
with  their  former  action,  they  were  now  ready  to  acknowl- 
edge that  action  to  be  wrong.  This  item  of  record  makes 
it  manifest,  that  the  call  for  a  trial  of  Mr.  Barnes,  on  charges 
made  against  the  man,  first  came  from  himself  and  his 
friends ;  and  that  when,  some  years  afterwards,  and  after 
he  had  published  his  Notes  on  the  Romans,  Dr.  Junkin 
came  forward  and  tabled  charges  against  the  author,  he 
did  but  respond  to  the  call  originated  and  reiterated  by 
the  very  men  who  raised  a  clamor  against  him  for  doing 
the  precise  thing  which  they  had  demanded. 

The  committee  of  the  Assembly,  to  which  the  case  of 
Mr.  Barnes  was  referred,  made  a  report,  originally  written 
by  Dr.  Miller,  but  greatly  modified  and  emasculated  by 
the  majority  of  the  committee,  which  was  evidently  meant 
as  a  compromise.  This  report  was  adopted,  and  as  it  was 
the  first  official  act  of  the  Supreme  Judicatory  of  the  church, 
that  seemed  to  look  towards  a  toleration  in  the  church  of 
the  New  Theology,  it  is  put  on  record  in  these  pages.  It 
is  as  follows  : 

"That  after  bestowing  on  the  case  the  most  deliberate 
and  serious  consideration,  the  committee  are  of  opinion, 
that  it  is  neither  necessary  nor  for  edification,  to  go  into 
discussion  of  all   the  various  and  minute  details  which  are 


*  Minutes  of  General  Assembly  of  183 1,  p.  176  et  al. 


REPORT   TO    THE    GENERAL   ASSEMBLY. 


207 


comprehended  in  the  documents  relating  to  the  case.  For 
the  purpose,  however,  of  bringing  the  matter  in  contro- 
versy, as  far  as  possible,  to  a  regular  and  satisfactory  issue, 
they  would  recommend  to  the  Assembly  the  adoption  of  the 
following  resolutions : 

"  1.  Resolved,  That  the  General  Assembly,  while  it  ap- 
preciates the  conscientious  zeal  for  the  purity  of  the  church, 
by  which  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  is  believed  to  have 
been  actuated,  in  its  proceedings  in  .the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes; 
and  while  it  judges  that  the  sermon  of  Mr.  Barnes,  entitled 
'The  Way  of  Salvation,'  contains  a  number  of  unguarded 
and  objectionable  passages ;  yet  it  is  of  opinion  that,  espe- 
cially after  the  explanations  given  by  him  of  those  pas- 
sages, the  Presbytery  ought  to  have  suffered  the  whole  to 
pass  without  further  notice. 

"  2.  Resolved,  That,  in  the  judgment  of  this  Assembly, 
the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  ought  to  suspend  all  further 
proceedings  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes. 

"  3.  Resolved,  That  it  will  be  expedient,  as  soon  as  the 
regular  steps  can  be  taken,  to  divide  the  Presbytery  in 
such  a  way  as  will  be  best  calculated  to  promote  the  peace 
of  the  ministers  and  churches  belonging  to  the  Presbytery. 

''With  respect  to  the  abstract  points  proposed  to  the 
Assembly  for  their  decision,  in  the  reference  of  the  Pres- 
bytery, the  committee  are  of  the  opinion  that,  if  they  be 
answered,  they  had  better  be  discussed  and  decided  in 
thesi,  separate  from  the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes."  [Min.  1831, 
pp.  176-180.] 

This  action  of  the  Assembly  gave  great  dissatisfaction  to 
the  Old  School  men  in  the  church ;  and,  taken  in  con- 
nection with  other  acts  of  the  same  Assembly,  and  with 
utterances  of  the  leaders  of  the  other  party,  afforded  proof, 
as  they  thought,  of  a  fixed  purpose  to  thwart  discipline,  to 
protect  error,  and  to  delay  a  decision  of  the  great  doctrinal 
questions  at  issue,  until  the  party  abetting  these  measures 
could  become  so  strong  as  to  revolutionize  the  church. 
It  may  be  that  their  apprehensions  exceeded  the  measure 
of  the  danger ;  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  many 
good  men,  who  voted  with  the  New  School,  did  so  with 


208  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

the  hope  of  promoting  peace,  and  because  they  were  not 
convinced  that  the  errors  and  innovations  complained  of 
were  really  so  serious  and  so  wide-spread.  But  in  the  light 
of  events  that  have  since  transpired,  there  can  be  no 
reasonable  doubt,  that  the  leaders  of  the  New  School 
party  seriously  contemplated  effecting  that  which  the  Old 
School  deemed  revolutionary.  In  saying  this,  their  motives 
are  not  impugned,  for  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  they  deemed 
what  they  aimed  at  to  be  desirable  and  right. 

It  is  now  manifest,  that  great  preparation  had  been  made 
by  the  friends  of  innovation  for  securing  a  majority  in  the 
Assembly  of  1831.  The  gentleman  who  became  the  Mod- 
erator of  that  body  had  made  an  extensive  tour  in  the 
South  during  the  preceding  winter,  and,  whilst  care  for  his 
health  may  have  been  the  prominent  object  thereof,  yet  the 
fact  that  he  stated  to  Dr.  Spring  that  he  had  known,  three 
months  before,  that,  if  a  member,  he  would  be  chosen 
Moderator,  and  that  he  had  lost  eight  votes  by  absence  of 
members  from  Virginia,  was  pretty  clear  proof  that  there 
had  been  some  preconcert. 

During  the  progress  of  the  troubles  connected  with  the 
case  of  Mr.  Barnes, — 1830,  and  the  winter  of  1831, — the 
conflict  between  the  Boards  of  the  church  and  the  Volun- 
tary societies  which  sought  to  supersede  them  in  their 
work,  was  waxing  warmer.  The  party  which  sustained  Mr. 
Barnes  was  nearly  identical  with  that  which  favored  the 
Voluntary  societies.  Dr.  Absalom  Peters,  a  Welshman  by 
birth,  and  a  Congregationalist  by  conviction,  a  man  of 
great  ability,  tact,  and  adroitness,  was  the  Secretary  of  the 
Home  Missionary  Society.  This  gentleman  had  been  en- 
deavoring to  effect  a  sort  of  union  between  the  Assembly's 
Board  and  the  Society  of  which  he  was  the  chief  actuary. 
The  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati  had,  doubtless  through  his 
suggestion  and  influence,  addressed  a  communication  to 
the  Board  of  Missions  upon  the  subject  of  this  union.    To 


CONFLICT  ABOUT  HOME   MISSIONS. 


!°9 


this  the  Board  replied,  assigning  reasons  for  declining  the 
union,  and  showing  its  inexpediency.  This  letter  of  the 
Board  furnished  the  pretext  for  six  letters  from  Dr.  Peters, 
headed  "A  Plea  for  Union  in  the  West;"  in  which,  with 
much  adroitness  and  plausibility,  he  assailed  the  Board  of 
Missions,  charged  it  with  inefficiency  and  a  disposition  to 
distract  the  efforts  of  the  church,  by  refusing  to  co-operate 
with  the  Home  Missionary  Society,  and  strongly  hinted 
that  the  Board  did  not  "  provide  things  honest  in  the  sight 
of  all  men."  In  his  sixth  letter,  he  issued  what  was  well 
understood  to  be  a  rallying  call  to  those  that  agreed  with 
him,  to  come  in  force  to  the  next  General  Assembly.  He 
said  that  he  had  endeavored  "to  persuade  the  contending 
parties" — i.e.  the  Board  and  the  Home  Missionary  Society 
— "to  become  one,"  and  declared  that  upon  that  result 
"my  heart  is  fixed."  And  he  farther  says,  "What  meas- 
ures ought  now  to  be  adopted  I  do  not  feel  prepared  even 
to  suggest.  So  far  as  the  Western  States  are  concerned,  I 
trust  our  brethren,  on  the  ground,  will  be  prepared  to  ex- 
press their  wishes  to  the  next  General  Assembly.'1'1  These 
letters  were  published  in  the  Cincinnati  Journal^  in  Decem- 
ber, 1830,  and  January,  1831,  and  soon  afterward  copied 
into  the  New  York  Evangelist.  They  were  well  adapted 
to  shake  the  confidence  of  the  churches  in  the  integrity  of 
the  Assembly's  Board,  to  promote  its  union  with,  or  its 
absorption  by,  the  Home  Missionary  Society,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  to  summon  all  the  dependents  and  friends  of 
that  Society  to  come  to  the  Assembly  in  force. 

The  Board  replied  to  this  "  Plea  for  Union,"  in  a  pam- 
phlet published  on  the  2d  of  March,  1831.  Dr.  Peters  re- 
joined in  April,  in  a  forty-eight-page  pamphlet. 

Whilst  the  Home  Missionary  Society  was  thus  rallying 
its  friends,  the  friends  of  Mr.  Barnes,  and  others  who 
favored  the  New  England  divinity,  were  also  active,  and  a 
considerable  body  of  ministers  and  elders,  who  occupied  a 

18* 


21  o  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

middle  ground  between  the  parties,  men  in  the  main  sound 
in  the  faith,  but  who  were  willing  to  go  almost  any  length 
for  the  sake  of  peace,  also  sought  to  be  represented  in  the 
Assembly,  in  order  to  repress  agitation  and  promote  peace. 
Under  such  influences  the  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly 
of  1 83 1  were  chosen. 

Meanwhile,  the  discussions  of  the  questions  of  doctrine 
and  order,  that  were  involved  in  the  controversy,  went  on, 
and  waxed  warm — sometimes  acrimonious.  Mr.  Barnes 
was  installed  in  June,  1830,  and  shortly  afterward  a  pam- 
phlet, entitled  "A  Sketch  of  the  Debate  and  Proceedings 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  in  regard  to  the  Instal- 
lation of  the  Rev.  Albert  Barnes,"  was  published  in  New 
York.  This  pamphlet  was  well  adapted  to  intensify  the 
spirit  of  party,  by  its  provoking  unfairness  to  the  Old 
School  men,  and  its  adroit  appeals  to  the  zeal  and  passions 
of  the  New.  It  held  up  Mr.  Barnes'  opponents  in  the 
most  offensive  light,  and  strove  to  arouse  public  odium 
against  them  by  partisan  glosses  of  the  facts. 

Some  three  months  after  its  publication,  this  pamphlet 
was  answered  and  reviewed  by  the  Rev.  Wm.  L.  McCalla, 
in  a  pamphlet  in  which  he  gave  a  history  of  the  pro- 
ceedings in  Mr.  Barnes'  case.  Meanwhile,  the  religious 
newspapers  contained  many  articles  upon  the  agitating 
questions.  All  the  weekly  papers,  at  this  time,  were  in 
the  interest  of  the  New  School,  or  of  the  (so-called)  "peace 
men."  The  Philadelphian,  then  edited  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
E.  S.  Ely,  had  a  pretty  large  circulation  in  Pennsylvania 
and  the  West.  Dr.  Ely  at  first  seemed  disposed  to  make 
his  paper  an  impartial  medium,  but  in  a  short  time  he  be- 
came ardently  enlisted  in  the  New  School  cause,  and  threw 
the  influence  of  his  paper  so  fully  upon  that  side,  that  it 
was  deemed  necessary  to  establish  another  paper  in  the 
interests  of  orthodoxy.  This  was  the  origin  of  the  Pres- 
byterian, which  was  commenced   in   1831.      Dr.   Ely  had 


DISRUPTION  PREDICTED.  2II 

published,  in  the  Philadelphian,  a  history  of  the  Barnes 
troubles,  such  as  the  Old  School  considered  unfair  and 
one-sided,  and  this  led  the  clerk  of  the  Presbytery,  Mr. 
(afterwards  Dr.)  Engles,  to  publish  in  pamphlet  form,  "A 
True  and  Complete  Narrative"  of  all  the  proceedings  in 
that  case. 

The  religious  press  of  New  England  also  took  part  in 
these  agitating  discussions.  The  organ  of  the  New  Haven 
theology,  the  Christian  Spectator,  interfered,  and  its 
number  for  June,  1831,  was  issued  a  month  or  more  ahead 
of  time,  in  order,  as  was  supposed,  to  exert  influence  upon 
the  approaching  Assembly,  in  favor  of  Mr.  Barnes  and  the 
Voluntary  societies.  With  a  forecast  and  a  candor  far 
transcending  his  ecclesiastical  delicacy,  the  Spectator  warns 
"  those  who  seem  bent  on  driving  Mr.  Barnes  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  that  they  are  taking  upon 
themselves  a  responsibility  of  no  ordinary  character,  since 
the  principle  on  which  they  act,  if  carried  into  full  opera- 
tion, must  create  a  total  disruption  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States,  and  a  consequent  sacrifice, 
to  an  immense  extent,  of  some  of  the  dearest  interests  of 
the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  We 
state  the  subject  thus  strongly,  because  every  one,  we  sup- 
pose, understands  that  the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes  is  not  that 
of  an  individual.  The  real  question  at  issue  is,  whether 
New  England  Calvinism  shall  any  longer  be  tolerated  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church  of  this  country."  Thus  did  the 
organ  of  New  Haven  predict  the  disruption  seven  years 
before  it  occurred,  and  avowed  that  a  refusal  to  tolerate 
the  New  Theology  would  inevitably  lead  to  disruption.  The 
only  alternative  was,  tolerate  the  new  divinity  or  submit  to 
disruption. 

The  Old  School  party  in  the  church,  if  disposed  to  make 
exertions  to  shape  this  important  Assembly  to  their  purposes, 
labored  under  great  disadvantages,  especially  for  want  of 


212  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

the  use  of  a  religious  press  in  their  interest.  The  Presby- 
terian was  yet  in  its  infancy,  all  the  other  weeklies  were 
either  in  the  interest  of  the  New  School  or  of  the  middle 
men,  and  the  Biblical  depository,  though  thoroughly  sound 
in  its  theology,  was  slow  to  be  convinced  that  there  was  any 
great  necessity  for  the  measures  of  resistance  to  innovation 
which  the  Old  School  had  inaugurated.  Besides  this,  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  the  Old  School  men,  relying  upon 
the  supposed  goodness  of  their  cause,  were  less  skilful  and 
energetic  in  using  means  to  promote  it. 

Such  were  the  circumstances  and  influences  under  which 
the  General  Assembly  of  1831,  whose  proceedings  we  have 
in  part  recorded,  was  constituted.  It  proved  the  largest  that 
had  ever  convened,  and  in  its  acts  were  more  fully  developed, 
than  ever  before,  the  elements  of  that  great  struggle,  which, 
seven  years  later,  resulted  in  the  division  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church.  From  its  opening  to  its  dissolution,  the  array 
of  party  was  distinctly  visible.  The  New  School  were  in 
the  ascendant,  the  result  of  influences  indicated  above. 
For  Moderator  they  selected  a  man  fully  committed,  by 
his  sermons,  and  by  his  published  work  on  the  Atonement, 
to  the  New  Theology,  and  also,  by  his  education  and  asso- 
ciations, to  the  "new  measures"  employed  to  promote  re- 
vivals, and  to  the  hybrid  form  of  government  which  had 
grown  out  of  the  "  Plan  of  Union." 

Not  only  did  the  decision  in  Mr.  Barnes'  case  indicate 
that  "the  revolution  was  not  to  go  back,"  but,  at  the  very 
opening  of  the  Assembly,  Mr.  Clement  Tuttle,  a  "Com- 
mitteeman," commissioned  by  the  Presbytery  of  Grand 
River,  was,  by  a  vote  of  the  majority,  admitted  to  a  seat 
as  a  member  of  the  Assembly ;  and  although  towards  the 
close,  when  the  majority  had  changed  by  the  departure 
of  some  members,  it  was  declared  irregular  to  appoint 
persons  as  commissioners  who  had  never  been  ordained 
Ruling  Flders,  there  was  a  disposition  shown  bv  the  New 


VALLEY  OF   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  213 

School  to  perpetuate  the  anomaly  of  receiving  Committee- 
men. 

But  the  policy  of  the  New  School  party  in  this  Assembly 
which  excited  the  most  alarm,  was  the  effort  boldly  made 
to  have  the  Board  of  Missions  absorbed  by  the  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society.  The  Annual  Report  of  the  Board  brought 
the  subject  before  the  Assembly,  and,  besides*  this,  there 
were  several  overtures  from  the  West.  The  Report  of  the 
Board  was  this  year  more  than  usually  encouraging;  and, 
in  view  of  their  past  success,  and  of  pledges  of  large  sums 
of  money  from  "  friends  of  the  present  Board  of  Missions," 
they  declared  it  their  purpose  to  "supply,  in  the  course  of 
five  years,  every  vacant  Presbyterian  congregation  and  des- 
titute district  that  may  be  disposed  to  receive  aid  from  this 
Board,  with  a  faithful  minister  of  the  gospel ;  and  they  do 
hereby  pledge  themselves  to  extend  prompt  and  efficient  aid 
to  all  feeble  congregations  throughout  the  Valley  (of  the 
Mississippi)  which  shall  apply  to  them  for  assistance,"  etc. 

The  Home  Missionary  Society  had  been  striving  to  get 
exclusive  possession  of  the  great  Valley  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  this  indication  of  a  purpose  on  the  part  of  the  Assembly's 
Board  to  cultivate  that  field  with  energy,  aroused  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  majority  of  the  Assembly,  who  favored  the  schemes 
of  the  Home  Missionary  Society.  The  usual  vote  to  ap- 
prove of  the  report  was  refused ;  it  was  proposed  to  strike 
out  that  part  of  the  report  which  contained  the  pledge  of 
aid  to  the  feeble  churches  of  the  Valley ;  but  this  wa"s  for- 
borne, and,  with  certain  animadversions  upon  the  report 
made  by  the  committee  to  which  it  had  been  referred,  it 
was  "returned  to  the  Board  for  its  disposal." 

The  Memorials  on  Missions  in  the  West  had  been  re- 
ferred to  a  committee,  which  reported  Dr.  Peters'  plan  for 
a  union  with  the  Home  Missionary  Society.  A  substitute 
was  proposed,  referring  the  subject  to  a  conference  of  the 
Western  Synods,  with  a  view  to  have  them  agree  upon  a 


214  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

plan,  and  report  it  to  the  Assembly.  "  Pending  the  deci- 
sion, the  movements  hostile  to  the  Board  reached  a  crisis. 
A  motion  had  been  made  by  Dr.  Richards,  that  a  commit- 
tee should  be  raised  to  nominate  a  Board  of  Missions.  Dr. 
William  Wylie  moved  a  postponement  of  this,  to  make 
room  for  a  motion  to  reappoint  the  old  Board.  In  the 
progress  of -the  discussion,  the  Rev.  E.  N.  Kirk*  stated 
that  he  came  to  the  Assembly  for  the  purpose  of  accom- 
plishing two  objects, — the  vindication  of  Mr.  Barnes,  and 
the  dismissal  of  Mr.  Russell  from  the  service  of  the  Board 
on  account  of  his  course  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes.  He 
intimated  that  these  were  the  objects  of  his  party,  and  that 
candor  required  their  avowal.  The  means  on  which  the 
party  relied  for  the  latter  purpose  was  the  election  of  a 
new  Board,  which  was  expected  to  amalgamate  with  the  A. 
H.  Missionary  Society,  "f 

Dr.  Richards'  motion  was  carried  by  a  majority  of  twenty- 
two,  and  a  committee,  composed  wholly  of  those  hostile  to 
the  Assembly's  Board,  was  appointed,  with  Dr.  Hillyer,  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Home  Missionary 
Society,  as  its  chairman.  This  committee  soon  reported, 
nominating  a  list  in  which  the  enemies  of  the  Board  greatly 
preponderated.  Many  Old  School  men  were  on  the  list, 
but  they  were  in  remote  parts  of  the  church;  whilst  in  the 
Synods  immediately  adjacent  to  Philadelphia,  the  place  of 
the  meetings  of  the  Board,  there  were  two  to  one  of  New 
School  men.  Dr.  Green  and  a  few  of  the  old  members 
were  retained,  but  so  few  as  to  be  powerless  in  a  vote. 

The  plan  was  for  the  new  Board  to  be  constituted  and  to 
meet  during  the  sessions  of  the  Assembly,  and  the  Old 
School  feared  that  the  design  was  to  enter  at  once  into  such 
relations  with  the  Home  Missionary  Society  as  would  bind 

*  Shortly  afterwards  pastor  of  a  Congregational  church  in  Boston, 
j-  Baird's  Hist.  N.  School,  pp.  377-78. 


ADOPTION  OF  THE   REPORT.  215 

the  church  to  act  through  it.  The  Assembly  was  thrown  into 
an  intense  ferment  by  the  Report  of  the  Nominating  Com- 
mittee. The  purpose  was  so  transparent  as  no  longer  to 
be  disguised.  Many  claimed  the  floor  at  once;  the  Mod- 
erator could  not  preserve  order ;  and,  to  give  time  for 
the  storm  to  lull,  a  short  recess  was  taken. 

After  the  recess  the  Assembly  engaged  in  prayer  for 
divine  direction.  Various  plans  of  compromise  were  pro- 
posed, and  finally  a  committee,  composed  of  Rev.  F.  A. 
Ross,  Dr.  Peters,  and  Colonel  Jessup  on  the  one  side,  and 
Dr.  Green,  Dr.  Spring,  and  Mr.  R.  J.  Breckenridge  on  the 
other,  was  appointed.  This  committee  very  soon  reported 
a  proposition  to  refer  the  existing  difficulties,  growing  out 
of  the  separate  action  of  the  Assembly's  Board  and  the  A. 
H.  M.  Society,  to  a  conference  of  the  seven  Western 
Synods,  with  permission  for  all  the  Synods  and  Presbyteries 
of  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi  to  take  part  in  the  confer- 
ence if  they  desired  it,  and  recommending  that  the  present 
Board  of  Missions  be  reappointed.* 

An  effort  was  made  to  strike  out  the  clause  of  this  report 
that  admitted  to  the  conference,  if  they  should  desire  it, 
all  the  Synods  and  Presbyteries  of  the  Valley ;  but  the 
motion  was  lost,  and  the  report  adopted. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  follow  the  conflict,  in  regard 
to  this  great  question  of  missions,  through  all  its  subse- 
quent stages.  The  object  in  placing  on  record  so  much 
as  we  have  written,  is  to  show  that  a  great  necessity  existed 
for  definitive  action,  both  as  regards  doctrine  and  order  ; 
that  the  peace  of  the  church  could  never  be  restored  with- 
out such  action ;  and  that,  in  coming  forward,  with  a  view 
to  secure  a  final  decision  of  the  great  doctrinal  issues,  upon 
which  all  the  others  hung,  Dr.  Junkin  undertook  a  work  for 
his  church,  for  his  generation,  and  for  posterity,  the  diffi- 

*  Minutes  General  Assembly,  1831,  pp.  183,  184,  188,  189. 


2i6  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

culties  of  which  were  only  exceeded  by  its  vast  impor- 
tance. 

It  may  be  satisfactory,  however,  to  the  readers  of  this 
book,  who  may  not  have  access  to  other  histories  of  that 
period,  to  state,  in  brief,  the  results  of  the  action  of  the 
General  Assembly,  above  detailed.  The  immediate  result 
of  the  adoption  of  the  report  of  the  committee  of  com- 
promise was,  to  save  the  Board  of  Missions  from  that 
destruction  which  at  one  time  seemed  so  imminent,  and  to 
save  the  church  from  being  handed  over,  with  her  hands 
tied,  to  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society. 

Another  valuable  result  was  the  gaining  of  time  for  the 
church  to  exercise  a  "sober  second  thought,"  and  for  the 
recuperative  energy,  inherent  in  Presbyterian  ism,  to  be 
called  out.  Every  week's  delay  was  a  loss  to  the  abettors 
of  innovation.  Every  week  shed  more  light  before  the 
people,  and  the  office-bearers  of  the  church,  in  regard  to 
the  real  character  of  the  issues  of  the  conflict ;  and  just  so 
fast  and  so  far  as  these  became  known,  the  mass  of  sound 
Presbyterians  were  roused  to  a  sense  of  the  church's 
danger. 

This  process  of  enlightenment  was  greatly  aided  by  a 
publication  made  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bacon,  the  delegate  to 
the  Assembly  from  the  Association  of  Connecticut.  Mr. 
Bacon,  though  not  really  a  member  of  the  Assembly,  had 
been  put  upon  the  committee  that  shaped  the  deliverance 
in  the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes,  and  after  he  went  home  he 
wrote  the  article  in  question,  in  which  he  taunted  the 
Assembly  with  having  abandoned  the  principles  of  the 
Presbyterian  form  of  government,  in  deciding  the  Barnes 
case,  and  with  having  adopted  Congregational  modes  of 
acting  in  that  case.  After  stating  the  course  which  he 
supposed  a  Presbyterian  body  would  have  pursued,  he 
proceeds : 

"But  this  course  was  not  adopted.     There  was  a  reluc- 


PUBLICATION  BY  REV.  MR.  BACON. 


217 


tance,  in  a  part  of  the  Assembly,  against  a  regular  trial  and 
decision  in  the  case.  .  .  .  Not  even  the  venerable 
editor  of  the  Christian  Advocate  will  charge  the  venerable 
professor,  on  whose  repeated  motion  the  Assembly  at  last 
consented  to  waive  a  regular  trial,  with  being  engaged  in 
any  conspiracy  against  the  purity  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Yet  the  fact  was,  that  Dr.  Miller  did  earnestly 
deprecate  the  evils  which  would  follow  a  regular  trial  and 
decision,  and  on  that  ground  persuaded  the  parties  to  forego 
their  constitutional  rights,  and  to  submit  their  case,  with- 
out trial,  in  the  expectation  that  the  Assembly  would  en- 
deavor to  find  some  ground  on  which  the  parties  might  be 
at  peace.  I  was  disappointed  in  this,  and  yet  I  rejoiced  in 
it.  As  a  curious  observer,  I  was  disappointed,  because  I 
expected  to  see  the  practical  operation  of  your  system  of 
judicatories  and  appeals,  in  a  case  in  which,  if  it  has  any 
superiority  over  our  system  of  friendly  arbitrations,  that 
superiority  would  be  manifest.  ...  I  came  to  the 
General  Assembly  disposed  to  learn  what  are  the  actual 
advantages  of  that  towering  system  of  ecclesiastical  courts 
which  constitutes  the  glory  of  Presbyterianism,  and  of  that 
power  to  terminate  all  controversies  which  is  supposed  to 
reside  in  the  supreme  judicature. 

"  Of  course,  I  could  not  but  be  at  once  astonished  and 
gratified,  to  see  that  unconscious  homage  which  was  ren- 
dered to  Congregational  principles,  when  Presbyterians  of 
the  highest  form,  pure  from  every  infection  and  tincture  of 
independency,  untouched  with  any  suspicion  of  leaning 
towards  New  England,  strenuously  deprecated  the  regular 
action  of  the  Presbyterian  system,  in  a  case  which,  of  all 
cases,  was  obviously  best  fitted  to  demonstrate  its  excel- 
lence. I  was  astonished.  ...  I  could  not  but  ask 
within  myself,  What  is  this  lauded  system  of  power  and 
jurisdiction  worth,  these  judicatures,  court  rising  above 
court  in  regular  gradation,  what  are  they  worth,  if  you  are 
afraid  to  try  your  system  in  the  hour  of  need  ?  Yet,  when 
I  heard  those  brethren  arguing  in  favor  of  referring  the 
matter  to  a  select  committee,  which  should  endeavor  to 
mediate  between  the  parties,  and  to  propose  some  terms  of 
peace  and  mutual  oblivion  ;  in  other  words,  to  act  as  a 
Congregational  ecclesiastical  council  would  act,  I  was 
convinced  they  were  in  the  right.     .     .     .     And  I  sup- 

J9 


218  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE   JUNKIN. 

posed  that  the  general  conviction  was  that  it  was  best  to 
go  to  work,  on  that  occasion,  in  something  like  the  Con- 
gregational way,  rather  than  in  the  Presbyterian."* 

We  have  quoted  just  enough  of  this  remarkable  paper 
to  show  that,  in  the  judgment  of  a  Congregationalist 
whose  heart  was  with  the  New  School,  and  who  had  helped 
to  effect  the  result  reached  by  the  majority  of  the  Assem- 
bly, that  action  was  a  gross  violation  of  the  constitution 
and  principles  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  paper 
itself  aided  to  convince  the  people  of  our  church  that  this 
was  so. 

But  it  would  be  unfair  to  the  minority  of  that  Assembly 
to  leave  the  impression  that  they  did  not  resist,  with  all 
their  power,  this  triumph  of  error,  and  this  prostration  of 
Presbyterian  order.  There  were,  in  that  Assembly,  men 
firm  and  faithful,  who  raised  their  voices  and  their  votes 
against  every  act  of  this  huge  burlesque  on  discipline. 
The  Rev.  Wm.  L.  McCalla,  who  was  not  in  the  house 
when  the  other  members  of  the  committee  to  defend  the 
action  of  Presbytery  waived  their  right  to  be  heard,  pre- 
sented a  paper  asking  for  his  right  to  perform  the  duty 
intrusted  to  him  by  his  Presbytery.  In  this  earnest  paper 
he  set  forth  that  one  side  (in  the  Barnes  case)  had  been 
heard,  and  the  other  not.  "  The  complaint,"  said  he,  "  is 
a  protracted  and  highly  argumentative  document.  As  the 
Presbytery  never  saw  it,  they  will  expect  their  commis- 
sioners to  answer  it  for  them.  My  colleagues  could  not, 
and  would  not,  waive  my  right.  When  my  momentary 
absence,  at  the  time,  can  be  shown  to  be  so  disorderly  as 
to  deprive  me  of  my  commission,  then,  and  then  only,  let 
my  Presbytery  be  cut  off  from  a  hearing.  .  .  .  Let 
the  complainants  be  cheered  with  the  smiles  of  popular 
*  favor,  and  let  me  appear  under  the  lowering  frown  of  an 

*  Christian  Advocate,  1832,  p.  20. 


ROBERT  J.    BRECKENRIDGE.  219 

overwhelming  majority.  Only  allow  me  the  constitutional 
right  of  speaking  for  Christ  and  his  people,  and  I  am  satis- 
fied. If  refused,  I  shall  call  heaven  and  earth  to  witness 
that  we  are  denied  a  hearing  which  we  earnestly  solicit, 
and  to  which  we  are  entitled  by  the  laws  of  God  and 
man."     But  the  majority  refused  him  a  hearing. 

Another  honest  and  vigorous  voice  was  raised  against 
these  proceedings.  A  young  lawyer  from  Kentucky, 
who  had  been  in  the  Legislature  of  that  State,  and  who 
was  beginning  to  be  known  as  a  man  of  great  intellect 
and  indomitable  courage,  sat  as  a  Ruling  Elder  in  that 
Assembly.  He,  with  a  tone  of  solemn  expostulation,  and 
in  words  which  none  but  himself  could  so  effectively  em- 
ploy, pointed  out  the  enormity  of  the  conduct  of  all  who 
acquiesced  in  the  compromise.  Both  parties,  he  alleged, 
had  acted  against  their  avowed  conscientious  convictions, 
as  expressed  in  their  speeches.  The  friends  of  Mr.  Barnes 
had  voted  to  condemn  as  "unguarded  and  objectionable" 
that  which  they  had  previously  fully  endorsed ;  and  'his 
opponents  had  voted  those  to  be  only  "  incautious  expres- 
sions" which  they  had  declared  to  be  dangerous  errors; 
and  they  also  voted  to  censure  the  Presbytery  for  what 
they  believed  to  have  been  a  proper  course  of  action. 
"We  have  agreed,"  said  he,  "to  bury  the  truth;  and  be- 
fore two  years  God  will  correct  us  for  it."*  This  young 
lawyer,  some  two  years  afterward,  became  a  minister  of  the 
gospel,  and  has  inscribed  the  name  of  Robert  J.  Brecken- 
ridge  in  an  honorable  and  high  place  in  the  history  of  his 
church  and  of  his  generation. 

*  Baird's  Hist.,  p.  371. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

Conflicting  Views  about  Foreign  Missions — Low  State  of  Missionary  Spirit 
— Dr.  J.  H.  Rice's  Memorial — Baltimore  Action — Action  of  Assembly 
of  1831 — Formation  of  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society — Position 
of  the  American  Board — Dr.  Alexander  and  Mr.  Baird's  Opinions — Home 
Missionary  Contest — Cincinnati  Convention — History  of  Doctrinal  Con- 
flict resumed — Action  of  Assembly  of  1831  in  Barnes'  Case — "  Elective 
Affinity"  Presbytery  recommended — Resistance  of  Synods  of  Philadelphia, 
Pittsburg,  and  Cincinnati — Rule  of  Examination — Reference  to  Assembly 
— Protests  and  Replies — Assembly  erects  an  Elective  Affinity  Presbytery — 
Synod  Nullifies — Dufneld's  Trial — Beecher's  Trial. 

IN  addition  to  the  causes,  already  mentioned,  producing 
diversity  of  sentiment  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
tending  towards  disruption,  there  arose  about  this  time  the 
question  of  the  mode  of  conducting  Foreign  Missions. 
We  have  shown,  in  a  former  chapter,  that  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  America  considered  herself  a  missionary  society, 
and  that  from  her  earliest  organization  she  acted  in  that 
capacity.  The  General  Synod,  in  1752  and  1756,  had 
voted  funds  to  aid  the  Rev.  David  Brainerd  in  his  mission 
among  the  Indians  ;  and,  as  we  have  mentioned,  collections 
were  taken  up  at  a  later  period  for  the  use  of  his  brother 
John  in  his  Indian  mission  in  New  Jersey,  and  this  was 
continued  until  his  death,  in  1781.  In  1766,  Messrs. 
Beatty  and  Duffield  were  appointed  to  make  a  missionary 
tour  of  exploration  among  the  Western  Indians  ;  and  they 
made  a  report  of  their  tour  to  the  Synod  of  1767,  detailing 
their  journey  as  far  as  the  Muskingum,  and  its  results.  But 
no  missions  were  actually  established  until  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century,  when  the  commission  of  the  Synod 
of  Virginia  sent  out  six  missionaries  to  perform  transient 
(  220  ) 


LO W  STATE    OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  221 

labor,  two  to  Detroit,  two  to  the  Senecas,  and  two  to  the 
Muskingum.  The  Synod  of  Pittsburg,  the  daughter  and 
successor  of  the  Synod  of  Virginia,  continued  to  make 
some  efforts  for  the  evangelizing  of  the  Indians,  and  among 
others  established  a  mission  on  the  Maumee.  About  1805, 
Mr.  Blackburn  planted  mission-schools  among  the  Chero- 
kees  in  the  South  ;  and  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  had 
established  one  among  the  Catawbas. 

In  1 81 6,  the  General  Assembly  appointed  a  committee 
to  correspond  with  similar  committees  of  the  Associate 
Reformed  and  the  Dutch  Reformed  Churches,  with  a  view 
to  uniting  all  three  bodies  into  a  Missionary  Society.  This 
resulted  next  year  in  the  formation  of  "The  United  Foreign 
Missionary  Society,"  which  was  the  organ  of  the  three 
Presbyterian  bodies  which  joined  in  its  establishment, 
until  1826,  when,  after  certain  negotiations,  it  was  united 
with  the  American  Board,  with  the  consent  of  the  Synods 
and  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  by  them  this  Board  was 
recommended  to  the  confidence  and  patronage  of  the 
churches.*  The  churches  of  our  body  continued  to  give 
to  the  American  Board  the  money  they  collected  for 
Foreign  Missions;  but  it  was  becoming  manifest,  from 
every  year's  experience,  that  the  church  was  not  aroused 
to  her  duty  in  this  great  work,  and  probably  never  would 
be,  unless  other  means  of  developing  the  missionary  spirit 
should  be  found. 

Men  of  broad  evangelical  views  and  of  warm  hearts,  in 
different  parts  of  the  church,  seem  to  have  had  their  minds 
turned,  without  apparent  concert,  to  the  backward  state  of 
Foreign  Missions  in  the  church,  and  deplored  it.  Many 
lamented  the  fact  that  the  church  had  been  diverted  from  her 
original  position  as  a  Missionary  Society  to  become  a  mere 
auxiliary  of  the  American  Board.     Whilst  they  rejoiced  in 

*  Baird's  Digest,  and  Minutes  of  the  Assembly. 
I9* 


222  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK IX. 

the  wisdom  and  prudence  with  which  that  Society  managed 
its  affairs,  they  saw  that  it  was  not  in  a  position  to  develop 
the  missionary  energy  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  It  may 
be,  too,  that  this  conviction  was  increased  by  the  growing 
distrust  in  regard  to  some  New  England  men,  in  connection 
with  doctrinal  troubles.  But  before  the  strife  between  the 
"Schools,"  Old  and  New,  had  reached  any  crisis  looking 
to  division,  this  feeling  had  grown  strong. 

In  1830,  the  subject  of  Foreign  Missions  was  discussed  in 
the  ministers'  meeting  in  Baltimore ;  and  in  October  of 
that  year  the  Rev.  John  Breckenridge,  of  lovely  memory, 
offered  a  paper,  which  was  adopted  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Baltimore,  deploring  the  low  state  of  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary spirit  in  our  church,  recognizing  the  necessity  of 
increased  effort  to  meet  the  claims  of  the  heathen  world, 
and  ending  with 

"Resolved,  That  we  will  make  the  attempt,  as  a  body, 
from  this  time  to  support  at  least  one  missionary  in  the 
Foreign  field."* 

A  few  days  after  this  action,  as  Mr.  Baird  informs  us, 
as  Dr.  John  H.  Rice  was  passing  through  Baltimore,  he 
was  waited  upon,  at  Dr.  Nevin's,  by  a  committee  of  the 
Presbytery,  and  the  great  question  was  canvassed.  Dr. 
Rice  was  asked  to  prepare  a  paper  which  might  arouse 
the  church  to  her  duty.  He  promised  "to  think  of  it;" 
and  fulfilled  the  promise  by  dictating  from  his  death-bed 
an  overture  to  the  General  Assembly,  which  was  presented 
in  the  following  May.  That  great  and  good  man,  in  this 
memorial,  did  not  seem  to  contemplate  an  entire  sepa- 
ration of  the  Assembly  from  the  American  Board,  but  a 
"co-ordinate  Presbyterian  branch,  sufficiently  connected 
with  the  Assembly  to  satisfy  scrupulous  Presbyterians,  yet 

*  Bait.  Magazine,  1838,  p.  221. 


ACTION  OF  ASSEMBLY. 


223 


in  union  with  the  original  Board."  "The  overture  was 
presented,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  confer  with 
the  American  Board."  It  was  considered  by  some  as 
unwisely  constituted,*  —  that  is,  if  the  object  of  Dr. 
Rice's  overture  was  to  be  attained.  The  truth  is,  that  it 
was  made  a  party  question  by  the  majority  of  the  Assembly. 
The  committee  was  elected  by  ballot,  and  Drs.  McDowell, 
Richards,  and  McAuley  were  chosen,  all  of  whom  were 
opposed,  at  that  time,  to  any  change  in  the  relations  of 
the  church  to  the  American  Board.  Drs.  Alexander,  John 
Breckenridge,  and  E.  P.  Swift  were  the  defeated  candidates. 
By  this  action  of  the  majority  of  the  Assembly,  the  cause 
of  Foreign  Missions  was  placed  in  the  same  category  with 
that  of  Home  Missions  and  Education, — the  subject  of  eccle- 
siastical contention.  The  Old  School  saw,  or  thought  they 
saw,  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  New  to  withhold  the 
church,  in  her  corporate  ecclesiastical  capacity,  from  all 
three  of  the  fields  of  her  legitimate  labor, — Education, 
Home  Missions,  and  Foreign  Missions.  They  thought  they 
discerned  a  fixed  purpose  to  bind  the  Presbyterian  Church 
to  the  three  great  voluntary  societies,  the  American  Educa- 
tion and  Home  Missionary  Societies,  and  the  American 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  From  this  they  recoiled.  And 
the  words  uttered  in  Dr.  Nevin's  study  at  the  interview  with 
Dr.  Rice,  became  from  1831  onward  the  rallying-cry  to 
the  church, — "The  Presbyterian  Church  a  Missionary 
society  !"f 

Inasmuch  as  the  vote  in  the  General  Assembly  of  1831 
indicated  a  disposition,  on  the  part  of  the  majority,  to  pre- 
vent the  formation  of  an  ecclesiastical  organization  for 
Foreign  Missions,  and  a  determination  that  the  church 
should  continue  to  act  through  the  American  Board,  the 

*  Gillett,  vol.  ii.  p.  454. 

f  Foote's  Sketches  of  Virginia,  vol.  ii.  p.  497. 


224  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

friends  of  church  action  took  prompt  measures  for  ecclesi- 
astical action.  The  Synod  of  Pittsburg  resolved  itself  into 
"The  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society"  in  that  same 
Fall  (1831 ),  under  a  constitution  which  made  provision  for 
the  co-operation  of  other  Synods  and  Presbyteries,  thus  look- 
ing to  its  extension  to  the  whole  church,  and  its  ultimate 
adoption  by  the  General  Assembly.  In  this  movement 
such  men  as  Drs.  E.  P.  Swift,  Thomas  D.  Baird,  A.  D. 
Campbell,  W.  C.  Anderson,  and  the  venerable  Elisha  Mc- 
Curdy  were  active.  The  Hon.  Harmar  Denny  was  the 
first  President;  Rev.  Thos.  D.  Baird,  Vice-President;  Dr. 
Swift,  Corresponding  Secretary;  and  Mr.  McCurdy,  Treas- 
urer. Before  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  of  1832,  funds 
had  been  raised,  Africa  chosen  as  its  first  field  of  opera- 
tions, and  it  was  ready  to  enter  upon  its  work.  When 
the  Assembly  of  1832  convened,  Dr.  McAuley,  from  the 
committee  to  confer  with  the  American  Board,  presented  a 
report,  signed  by  the  conferees,  which,  in  an  elaborate 
argument,  endeavored  to  prove  that,  on  account  of  the 
national  character  of  that  Board,  it  was  best  for  the 
churches  that  had  hitherto  operated  through  it  to  continue 
to  do  so;  and  proposed,  that  in  order  to  bring  the  Presby- 
terian churches  more  fully  up  to  the  work,  "the  prudential 
committee  of  the  American  Board  should  take  prompt  and 
efficient  measures,  by  agencies  and  other  ways,  to  bring 
the  subject  of  Foreign  Missions  before  the  individual  mem- 
bers and  congregations  of  the  Presbyterian  body ;  and  that 
the  General  Assembly  and  subordinate  judicatories  of  that 
church  give  their  distinct  and  efficient  sanction  and  aid  to 
the  measures  that  shall  be  adopted  for  this  purpose."  -  ■ 

At  the  meeting  of  the  American  Board,  at  which  this 
report  was  considered,  Dr.  Miller,  who  was  present  as  a 
member,  offered  the  following  minute  as  further  expressive 
of  its  views,  viz.  : 

"While    this  Board  accept  and   approve   of  the    fore- 


OPINIONS   OF  DRS.  BAIRD   AND   ALEXANDER. 


225 


going  report  as  expressing  their  firm  opinion  on  the 
subject  referred  to  the  Committee  of  Conference, — Re- 
solved, That  if  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  or  any  of  its  subordinate  judicatories,  shall  event- 
ually think  proper  to  form  any  association  for  conducting 
Foreign  Missions  separately  from  the  American  Board,  this 
Board  will  regard  such  association  with  fraternal  feelings, 
and  without  the  least  disposition  to  interfere  with  its  organi- 
zation or  proceedings." 

"This  amendment,"  says  Dr.  Miller,  "was  very  uncere- 
moniously negatived,  only  two  members  of  the  Board  rising 
in  its  favor."*  Thus  a  fixed  purpose  was  exhibited  by  the 
Board  itself  to  hold  the  Presbyterian  Church  as  its  auxil- 
iary, and  not  only  to  do  for  that  church  its  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary work,  but  even  to  educate  its  congregations  in  their 
evangelical  duties,  "by  agencies  and  otherwise,"  under  the 
control  of  its  "Prudential  Committee."  Resolutions  to 
this  effect  were  proposed  as  part  of  the  report,  and  the 
attempt  was  made  thus  to  forestall  ecclesiastical  action. 

Dr.  Baird  resisted  these  resolutions,  and  informed  the 
Assembly  of  the  organization  and  activity  of  the  Western 
Missionary  Society ;  and  warned  them  that  the  reso- 
lutions would  "do  the  American  Board  more  hurt  than 
good."  In  opposition  to  them,  Dr.  A.  Alexander  said, 
"These  resolutions  will  so  commit  the  Assembly  that  we 
cannot  with  propriety,  at  any  time  or  for  any  reason, 
organize  a  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  It  also  contains  a 
virtual  censure  of  the  society  already  formed  at  Pittsburg. 
...  I  am  in  favor  of  the  American  Board.  I  am  a  mem- 
ber of  it,  and  have  confidence  in  it.  .  .  .  But  I  am  nor 
willing  that  the  Assembly  should  thus  bind  themselves  and 
their  successors  forever  from  acting  by  themselves.  Sup- 
pose the  charter-members,  who  all  reside  in  Massachusetts, 

*  Baird's  History,  p.  458. 


226  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

should  hereafter  fall  into  great  errors  in  regard  to  the  man- 
ner of  conducting  missions,  or  into  fundamental  errors  in 
doctrine.  I  have  no  suspicion  of  the  kind.  Bjt  we  have 
no  security  that  such  a  thing  will  never  take  place.  And 
is  this  supreme  judicatory  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  to  be 
so  committed  that  it  cannot  withdraw  the  control  of  its 
Foreign  Missions  from  such  a  Board?"* 

The  resolutions  were  rejected.  The  Assembly  refused  to 
express  any  opinion  upon  the  principles  contained  in  the 
report ;  they  recommended  the  American  Board  to  the 
affection  and  patronage  of  the  churches,  but  took  no  notice 
of  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  except  a  brief 
allusion  to  its  formation  in  the  narrative  of  the  state  of  re- 
ligion, as  indicative  of  a  deeper  interest  in  the  subject  of 
Foreign  Missions. 

The  conflict  in  regard  to  the  subject  of  Home  Missions 
was  transferred  temporarily  to  Cincinnati  by  the  action  of 
the  Assembly  of  1831,  referring  that  subject  to  the  Synods 
and  Presbyteries  in  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi.  Efforts 
were  promptly  made  by  the  friends  of  the  Home  Mission- 
ary Society  to  call  a  Convention  at  Cincinnati,  with  the 
purpose  of  so  defining  its  objects  as  to  favor  their  plans,  and 
to  constitute  the  Society  so  that  it  would  be  rather  a  mass- 
meeting  than  a  representative  body.  They  proposed,  in  a 
circular,  "to  leave  it  to  every  Presbytery  to  send  as  many 
delegates  as  they  choose,  or  may  find  convenient ;  allowing, 
also,  any  intelligent  members  of  the  Presbyterian  churches 
to  attend  and  aid  in  the  deliberations,  if  they  observe  the 
same  order  as  will  be  expected  of  delegates  appointed  by 
Presbyteries,  "f 

This  plan  would  have  put  it  in  the  power  of  the  New 
School  men  in  and  around  Cincinnati  to  control  the  Con- 
vention.   But  the  Presbytery  of  West  Lexington  was  called 

*  Baird's  History,  pp.  459,  460.  f  Ibid.,  vol.  ii.  p.  381. 


C INC  INN  A  TI  CONVENTION. 


227 


together  soon  after  the  publication  of  this  circular,  and 
proposed  a  more  equitable  plan,  asking  all  the  Presbyteries 
to  send  delegates  in  the  ratio  of  their  representation  in 
the  Assembly.  Several  other  Presbyteries  approved  this 
plan,  and  the  Convention  was  organized  upon  it. 

In  this  Convention  appeared  such  men  as  Dr.  Blythe, 
Dr.  T.  D.  Baird,  Dr.  Steel,  and  R.  J.  Breckenridge,  Esq. 
The  first-named  was  President.  It  was  in  session  a  week. 
Its  deliberations  did  much  to  inaugurate  a  more  wholesome 
and  conservative  sentiment  in  regard  to  the  duty  of  the 
church  on  the  subject  of  Missions ;  and  the  final  minute 
embodied  a  statement  of  the  facts  and  views  that  were 
elicited  during  the  discussions  of  the  Convention,  and  the 
wishes  of  the  several  Presbyteries  represented,  as  the  basis 
of,  and  the  reason  for,  the  Resolution,  "  That,  under  these 
circumstances,  they  deem  it  inexpedient  to  propose  any 
change  in  the  General  Assembly's  mode  of  conducting 
Missions ;  as  they  fully  approve  of  that  now  in  successful 
operation  ;  and  that  the  purity,  peace,  and  prosperity  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  materially  depend  on  the  active 
and  efficient  aid  which  the  Sessions  and  the  Presbyteries 
under  its  care  may  afford  the  Assembly's  Board."  The 
minute  was  adopted  by  54  to  15.  A  resolution  was  then 
offered  commendatory  of  the  work  which  the  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  was  doing  within  our  church,  but  the  reso- 
lution was  indefinitely  postponed  by  a  strong  vote.* 

Having  brought  the  history  of  the  missionary  phases  of 
the  great  struggle  to  the  point  and  period  at  which  the  tide 
was  turned  in  favor  of  ecclesiastical  organization,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  go  back  and  bring  up  the  narrative  of  that 
part  of  the  conflict  which  related  to  doctrine  and  discipline. 

The  Assembly  of  1831,  in  the  minute  adopted  in  the 
case  of  Mr.  Barnes,  had  not  only  failed  to  sustain  an  effort 

*  Minutes  of  Convention,  as  quoted  by  S.  J.  Baird,  vol.  ii.  p.  386. 


228  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

to  arrest  doctrinal  error,  which  they  acknowledged  to  have 
been  prompted  by  "conscientious  zeal  for  the  purity  of  the 
church,"  but  they  gave  judgment  that  all  further  efforts 
of  the  kind  in  Mr.  Barnes'  case  ought  to  be  suspended  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia.  Not  only  so,  but  they 
suggested  the  expediency  of  dividing  that  Presbytery  in 
such  a  way  as  to  separate  those  that  were  willing  to  tolerate 
the  alleged  errors  from  those  who  thought  that  such  errors 
in  doctrine  ought  not  to  be  allowed  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  A  memorial  was  presented  to  that  Assembly, 
asking  them  to  carry  out  this  recommendation,  and  divide 
that  Presbytery  at  once,  and  to  erect  the  members  who  sus- 
tained Mr.  Barnes  into  a  second  Presbytery.  This  was 
opposed  on  the  ground  of  want  of  constitutional  power  in 
the  Assembly  to  do  it.  Mr.  R.  J.  Breckenridge  made  a 
powerful  argument  against  it.  The  previous  question  being 
called  and  negatived,  the  whole  matter  was  indefinitely 
postponed,  under  the  operation  of  the  rule.* 

The  Synod  of  Philadelphia  met  in  Baltimore  on  the  27th 
of  October,  1831.  Dr.  Junkin  was  chosen  Moderator,  and, 
of  course,  took  no  active  part  in  its  discussions  or  proceed- 
ings. In  pursuance  of  the  recommendation  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  two  propositions  for  the  division  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  were  brought  before  the  Synod, 
one  from  the  majority  (O.  S.),  asking  for  a  geographical 
division  by  the  line  of  Market  Street ;  the  other  from  the 
minority,  asking  that  certain  members  named  should  be 
erected  into  a  second  Presbytery.  Some  of  these  members 
lived  north  and  some  south  of  Market  Street.  They  also 
asked  that  certain  churches  on  both  sides  of  said  line  be 
attached  to  the  new  Presbytery.  The  request  for  a  terri- 
torial division  had  been  adopted  by  Presbytery  in  full 
session,  on  the  19th  of  October  preceding;  the  other  came 

*  Baird's  Hist.,  p.  392. 


SYNODICAL   ACTION.  229 

up  by  memorial  from  eleven  ministers,  including  Mr.  Barnes. 
A  motion  to  grant  the  request  of  the  Presbytery  for  a  geo- 
graphical division  was  made,  and  discussed  at  length,  the 
New  School  members  opposing,  and  insisting  upon  eclectic 
division.  At  length  Dr.  Engles  moved  the  following  paper, 
which  was  adopted,  viz.  : 

tl  Whereas,  The^  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  at  their  last 
stated  meeting,  resolved,  in  compliance  with  the  deci-sion 
of  the  General  Assembly,  to  recommend  a  division  of  said 
Presbytery  by  a  geographical  line ;  and  whereas,  the  mi- 
nority of  said  Presbytery,  dissatisfied  with  the  aforesaid 
arrangement,  have  petitioned  to  divide  the  Presbytery  upon 
other  principles ;  and  whereas,  it  appears  to  this  Synod 
that  it  will  best  subserve  the  purity  and  peace  of  that  sec- 
tion of  the  church  embraced  by  said  Presbytery,  that  they 
should  remain  in  their  present  undivided  state  until  the 
members  of  it  can  harmonize  in  a  geographical  division; 
it  is  therefore 

'■'■Resolved,  That  whilst  this  Synod  respectfully  regard 
the  recommendation  of  the  last  General  Assembly,  yet  be- 
lieving that  it  has  originated  in  a  misapprehension  of  the 
real  state  of  the  church  in  this  section  of  the  country,  they 
consider  it,  in  every  point  of  view,  inexpedient  to  divide 
the  said  Presbytery,  and  do  therefore  dismiss  both  the 
recommendation  of  the  Presbytery  and  the  prayer  of  the 
petitioners." 

After  the  adoption  of  this  minute,  Dr.  Ely  and  others 
declared  their  intention  of  complaining  to  the  next  General 
Assembly,  and  asking  it  for  a  division  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Philadelphia.* 

Before  the  Synod,  at  this  meeting,  also  came  a  com- 
plaint, from  the  minority  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadel- 
phia, against  the  action  of  said  Presbytery  in  adopting  the 
following  standing  rule,  viz.  : 

"That  every  minister  or  licentiate  coming  to  this  Pres- 
bytery  by   certificate   from    another    Presbytery   or   other 

*  Minutes  of  Synod,  pp.  5,  6,  7,  9. 

20 


230  LIFE    OF  DR.    GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

ecclesiastical  body,  shall  submit  to  an  examination  before 
he  be  received." 

The  Synod  took  up  and  considered  the  complaint ;  the 
complainants  and  the  Presbytery  were  fully  heard  ;  the  roll 
was  called  and  members  expressed  their  opinion,  and  then 
it  was  resolved  to  refer  the  whole  subject  to  the  next  Gen- 
eral Assembly.* 

Dr.  Skinner  and  others  gave  notice  of  protest,  and  of  their 
intention  to  complain  to  the  next  General  Assembly.  Just 
as  the  Synod  was  about  to  adjourn,  this  protest  was  pre- 
sented, signed  by  twenty-two  ministers  and  elders.  The 
protestants  assigned  three  reasons  for  their  protest : 

"  1.  Because  the  matter  thereby  referred  to  the  Assem- 
bly would  have  been  regularly  brought  before  that  body, 
and  in  a  manner  more  likely  to  insure  a  definitive  issue,  by 
appeal  ox  complaint;  while  in  that  case  the  complainants  to 
the  Synod  would  not  have  had  to  meet  the  disadvantage 
of  having  the  Synod,  who  virtually  gave  judgment  in  a 
resolution  of  last  year,  among  their  judges  in  the  Assem- 
bly. 2.  Because  the  Book  of  Discipline  requires,  that 
after  the  roll  has  been  called  the  final  vote  shall  be  taken. 
(Sec.  iii.  Art.  IX.)  3.  Because  the  Book  of  Discipline 
(Sec.  ii.  Art.  III.),  which  speaks  of  references,  while  it  con- 
cedes the  right  of  reference  '  for  ultimate  trial  and  de- 
cision,' does  not  seem  to  contemplate  aright  of  referring 
simply  for  decision  after  trial  has  been  gone  through." 

As  there  was  no  time  to  prepare  an  answer  to  the  pro- 
test before  Synod  adjourned,  Messrs.  Engles  and  Junkin, 
the  Moderator,  were  appointed  a  committee  to  answer  it, 
and  publish  the  answer  with  the  Minutes.  They  prepared 
an  answer,  which  bears  evidence  of  having  been  written 
by  Mr.  Junkin ;  and  as  it,  together  with  the  protest  itself, 
throws  light  upon  the  spirit  of  those  unhappy  times,  and 

*  Minutes  of  Synod,  pp.  6,  7,  8. 


ANSWER    TO   PROTEST. 


231 


the  modes  of  conducting  the  controversy,  we  condense  its 
answers  to  the  several  points  of  the  protest : 

"  The  protestants,  in  this  case,  have,  in  the  opinion  of 
your  committee,  no  just  grounds  of  protest,  as  they  have 
not  been  in  any  sense  aggrieved.  Their  first  reason  for 
protest  is  divided  into  two  parts :  ist.  The  allegation  that 
the  matter  in  question  would  have  been  more  likely  to 
come. to  a  definitive  issue  had  it  gone  up  by  appeal,  than 
by  reference.  This  reason  would  be  good  if  the  matter 
had  originated  in  the  Synod;  but  as  it  originated  in  a  Pres- 
bytery, and  was  brought  to  Synod  by  complaint,  the  Assem- 
bly will  be  under  the  same  obligations  to  issue  it  as  if  it 
had  gone  directly,  by  complaint,  from  the  Presbytery  to 
the  Assembly.  2d.  They  prefer  it  going  up  by  complaint, 
because  that  would  deprive  the  Synod  of  a  vote  in  the 
Assembly  on  this  constitutional  question.  In  the  opinion 
of  your  committee,  a  question  like  this,  involving  general 
principles,  ought  to  be  settled  by  the  representatives  of  the 
whole  church;  and  as  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  represent 
a  large  section  of  the  church,  whose  rights  and  privileges 
they  are  bound  to  defend,  they  must  regard  the  attempt  of 
the  protestants,  to  debar  their  votes  in  such  a  decision,  as 
altogether  improper  and  unreasonable.  For,  suppose  two- 
thirds  of  the  Synods  in  our  body  stood  in  the  same  condi- 
tion as  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  then,  according  to  the 
doctrine  of  the  protestants  in  this  case,  a  single  individual 
in  each  Synod  might,  by  complaining,  throw  the  settle- 
ment of  this  constitutional  question  into  the  hands  of  the 
remaining  otie-third.  Would  this  be  right  ?  The  protest- 
ants shrink  from  the  idea  of  the  Synod  being  '  among  their 
judges  in  the  Assembly.'  But  these  protestants  were  not 
under  trial  in  the  Presbytery  or  Synod,  nor  are  they  to  be 
under  trial  in  the  Assembly,  there  to  be  judged.  We  had 
thought  that  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  had  been  ar- 
raigned by  their  brethren  at  the  bar  of  the  Synod  for 
adopting  a  standing  rule — that  the  Presbytery,  and  not 
their  accusers,  were  the  party  up  for  trial.  The  matter  to 
be  tried  before  the  Assembly  is  the  standing  rule  of  Pres- 
bytery, to  examine  persons  before  receiving  them,  not  the 
brethren  who  oppose  that  rule.  The  second  reason  of  pro- 
test is,  that  the  Book  prescribes  that,  after  the  roll  has  been 


232  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIX. 

called,  the  final  vote  shall  be  taken.  This  is  true  ;  and  the 
final  vote  was  taken  when  the  Synod  resolved  to  refer  the 
matter  to  the  Assembly.  The  Synod  deviated  neither  from 
the  letter  nor  the  spirit  of  the  Book.  The  third  reason  of 
protest  is  a  mere  conjecture.  The  article  of  the  Book  of 
Discipline,  upon  which  it  is  founded,  not  only  proves  the 
right  of  the  Synod  to  refer,  but  the  propriety  of  such  refer- 
ence in  this  very  case. 

"Your  committee  further  remark,  that  some  of  the  pro- 
testants  in  this  case  have  violated  a  rule  in  the  Book  of 
Discipline,  Chap,  viii.,  Sec.  viii.  Some-  of  them  were 
parties  complainant,  had  no  right  to  vote,  and  that  rule 
says,  '  None  can  join  in  a  protest  against  a  decision  in  any 
judicatory,  excepting  those  who  had  a  right  to  vote  in  said 
decision.'  "* 

The  above  extracts  exhibit  proof  that  party  feeling  ran 
high  on  both  sides,  and  that  on  one  there  was  a  disposition, 
in  the  settlement  of  a  simple  question  of  constitutional 
right, — the  right  of  examination, — to  give  it  the  character 
of  a  trial,  so  as  to  exclude  the  commissioners  of  the  largest 
Synod  from  a  vote  in  deciding  that  question. 

Dr.  Ely  and  others  brought  before  the  Assembly  of  1832 
a  complaint  against  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  for  not 
dividing  the  Presbytery  of  that  name,  in  accordance  with 
the  request  of  himself  and  his  friends.  They  also  pre- 
sented a  petition  to  the  Assembly,  asking  that  body  to 
divide  the  Presbytery.  The  one  paper  complained  of  the 
Synod  for  not  erecting  a  new  Presbyter",  to  be  composed 
of  twenty-three  specified  ministers  and  certain  specified 
churches.  The  other  paper  asked  for  the  erection  of  a 
Presbytery  of  thirteen  enumerated  ministers  and  as  many 
churches,  differing  from  the  list  presented  to  the  Synod  in 
their  petition  to  it. 

The  complaint  was  taken  up  in  the  Assembly,  and,  after 
a  full  hearing  and  a  long  discussion,  the  complaint  was 

*  Minutes  of  Synod,  pp.  13,  14. 


ELECTIVE  AFFINITY  PRESBYTERY. 


2  33 


sustained.  No  censure  was  passed  upon  the  Synod.  This 
result  (the  sustaining  of  the  complaint)  is  attributable  to 
several  causes.  First,  the  votes  of  all  the  commissioners 
from  the  large  Synod  of  Philadelphia  were  ruled  out. 
Second,  some  members  of  the  Assembly  voted  to  sustain 
from  sympathy  with  the  theological  views,  for  the  shelter- 
ing of  which  the  new  organization  was  designed.  Third, 
some  -so  voted  from  the  hope  that,  by  separating  the  con- 
tending parties,  peace  might  be  restored ;  whilst  others 
considered  the  recommendation  of  the  last  Assembly  as  a 
compromise  measure,  which  this  Assembly  was  bound  to 
carry  out. 

Mr.  Robert  J.  Breckenridge  moved,  that  as  the  judicial 
case  was  closed  by  sustaining  the  complaint,  and  as  the 
petition  now  before  the  Assembly  was  a  different  one  from 
that  rejected  by  the  Synod  in  the  act  complained  of,  the 
Commissioners  of  the  Presbyteries  of  that  Synod  of  Phila- 
delphia be  admitted  to  vote  on  the  petition,  as  they  have 
a  right  to  do.  This  motion  was  rejected;  and  as  often  as 
renewed  was  rejected.*  The  result  of  all  was,  that  the  As- 
sembly created  a  new  Presbytery,  to  be  called  the  Second 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  composed  of  fourteen  ministers 
and  as  many  churches.     The  motion  was — 

"Resolved,  That  the  complaint  be  sustained  and  the 
prayer  of  the  petitioners  be  granted,  "f 

And  yet,  in  reality,  the  thing  granted  by  the  Assem- 
bly was  not  that  which  the  petitioners  complained  against 
the  Synod  for  not  granting.  The  Presbytery  thus  erected 
within  the  bounds  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  came  to 
be  called  "  The  Assembly's  Presbytery,"  and  "The  Elect- 
ive Affinity  Presbytery;"  the  latter  designation  having,  it 
is  said,  been  suggested  by  a  remark  of  Dr.  Skinner,  one 
of  its  members,  during  the  discussion. 

*  Baird's  Hist.,  p.  304.  -f  Minutes  Assembly,  1832,  pp.  320,  321. 

S* 


234  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

When  the  Synod  met,  in  Lewistown,  in  October  of  that 
year,  quite  a  sharp  and  protracted  contest  was  occasioned 
by  the  presentation  of  a  paper,  claiming  to  be  for  the  pur- 
pose of  completing  the  roll,  excepting  to  the  act  of  the 
General  Assembly  in  constituting  the  Second  Presbytery 
of  Philadelphia  (but  recognizing  that  Presbytery  as  a  con- 
stituent portion  of  the  Synod) ;  asserting  that  the  act  of  the 
Assembly  was  an  infringement  of  the  constitutional  rights 
of  the  Synod  ;  and  proposing  to  appoint  a  committee  to 
prepare  a  memorial  to  the  General  Assembly,  praying  them 
to  review  the  proceeding  complained  of,  at  their  next 
session.* 

The  object  of  presenting  this  paper,  previous  to  the  com- 
pletion of  the  roll,  appears  to  have  been  to  avoid  the  recog- 
nition of  the  constitutionality  of  the  act  of  the  Assembly, 
by  admitting  the  Second  Presbytery  without  protest.  The 
introduction  of  the  paper  at  that  juncture  was  objected 
to  as  out  of  order.  The  Moderator  (Mr.  Junkin)  pro- 
nounced it  in  order;  an  appeal  was  taken,  and  the  decision 
of  the  Moderator  was  sustained.  The  first  resolution  in 
the  paper,  proposing  to  recognize  the  Second  Presbytery 
of  Philadelphia  "as  a  constituent  member  of  this  Synod," 
was  lost,  yeas  29,  nays  44,  and  the  rest  of  the  paper  was 
postponed  for  the  present,  and  a  Moderator  was  elected. 

A  motion  was  made  to  enter  the  names  of  Dr.  Ely,  Rev. 
James  Patterson,  Rev.  Albert  Barnes,  and  Elder  Henry 
Neill  upon  the  roll.  An  amendment  was  offered  in  the 
words  "as  members  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia." 
This  was  postponed  to  consider  a  resolution  offered  by  Mr. 
Winchester,  to  admit  these  brethren  as  members  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia.  This  was  amended  by  the 
words  "if  they  desire  it;"  and  in  that  shape  passed. 
They  did  not  desire  it,  as  might  have  been  expected ;  and 

*  M'nutes  of  Synod,  p.  d. 


ELECTIVE   AFFINITY  PRESBYTERY. 


235 


in  a  respectful  note,  in  reply  to  the  resolution  of  Synod, 
they  declined  the  condition  of  their  enrollment,  and 
claimed  their  right  to  sit  as  members  of  the  Second  Pres- 
bytery, under  the  authority  of  the  General  Assembly.* 

At  an  early  moment  after  the  Synod  convened,  com- 
munications from  the  Synods  of  Pittsburg  and  Cincinnati 
had  been  presented,  read,  and  referred  to  a  committee. 
These  communications  contained  the  action  of  the  said 
Synods,  remonstrating  against  the  act  of  Assembly  creating 
the  "Elective  Affinity  Presbytery."  The  committee  to 
which  they  were  referred,  reported  a  series  of  resolutions 
proposing  to  join  with  the  other  two  Synods  in  remon- 
strating to  the  next  General  Assembly  against  the  for- 
mation of  the  Elective  Affinity  Presbytery,  to  appoint  a 
committee  to  draught  a  remonstrance,  and  other  measures. 

The  first  two  proposals  were  adopted,  a  committee 
appointed  to  draught  a  memorial,  and  the  other  measures 
postponed.  A  memorial  was  accordingly  prepared  (Dr. 
Engles,  chairman)  representing  to  the  General  Assembly 
the  views  of  the  Synod,  setting  forth  the  constitutional 
and  other  reasons  why  the  Synod  could  not  recognize  a 
Presbytery  that  had,  as  they  alleged,  been  erected  in  vio- 
lation of  the  constitution  of  the  church,  disclosing  what 
the  Synod  supposed  to  be  the  unjustifiable  considerations 
prompting  the  New  School  ministers  at  Philadelphia  to 
seek  this  erection,  and  beseeching  the  Assembly,  in  the 
most  respectful  and  earnest  terms,  to  reconsider  and  annul 
the  act. 

A  protest  against  the  proceedings  of  the  Synod,  in  this 
business,  was  presented  by  fourteen  members,  and  ad- 
mitted to  record.  Mr.  Junkin  and  Mr.  Engles  were  ap- 
pointed to  prepare  an  answer.  The  former  wrote  the 
answer,  which,  with  the  protest,  is  in  the  Minutes,  and  is 

*  Minutes  of  Synod,  p.  7. 


236  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

a  specimen  of  the  author's  skill  in  detecting  and  exposing 
the  weak  points  of  false  reasoning.* 

Complaints  to  the  General  Assembly  were  also  an- 
nounced ;  and  thus  the  conflict  went  on.  Different  opin- 
ions may  be  entertained  by  dispassionate  minds  in  regard 
to  the  wisdom,  constitutionality,  and  expediency  of  the 
acts  of  the  Synod  in  regard  to  this  matter.  To  some 
it  appeared  like  nullification,  and  resistance  to  superior 
authority.  To  others  it  seemed  like  justifiable  opposition 
to  a  revolutionary  movement.  Those  who  entertained  high 
notions  of  the  supremacy  and  unlimited  power  of  the  General 
Assembly  condemned  the  act,  as  savoring  of  contumacy. 
Those  who  contended  that  the  powers  of  the  General  As- 
sembly are  specific  and  limited  by  a  written  constitution, 
and  who  urged  that  the  ecclesiastical  rights  of  God's  people 
are  only  safe  when  the  limitations  of  the  constitution  are 
respected,  vindicated  the  doings  cf  Synod,  as  justifiable 
measures  for  preventing  the  prostration  of  that  instrument, 
and  resisting  the  usurpation,  by  the  Assembly,  of  power 
which  the  constitution  conferred  exclusively  upon  the 
Synod.  The  weak  point  of  the  Synod's  position,  some 
thought,  was  in  the  oft-asserted  principle,  that  even  an  un- 
constitutional law  is  binding,  and  ought  to  be  submitted  to, 
until  it  is  pronounced  unconstitutional  by  the  competent  tri- 
bunal ;  and  many  were  of  opinion  that  it  would  have  been 
better  for  the  Synod  to  have  acquiesced  in  acts  which  they 
deemed  unconstitutional,  until  they  could  have  obtained 
redress,  by  a  reversal  of  the  objectionable  acts.  But  others, 
looking  upon  the  acts  of  the  Assembly  as  unconstitutional 
and  revolutionary,  held  that  the  Synod  did  well,  acting  upon 
the  maxim  obsia  principiis,  to  assert  their  constitutional 
rights,  and  to  "give  consent  by  subjection,  no,  not  for  an 
hour,"  to  a  usurpation  of  their  own  prerogative  by  the  Supe- 

*  Minutes  of  Synod,  pp.  10,  n,  12,  13,  and  18-22. 


CASE    OF  REV.   GEORGE   DUFFIELD. 


237 


rior  Court.  Those  who  took  this  view  of  the  subject  alleged 
that,  as  there  is  no  court  above  the  Assembly  to  pronounce 
upon  the  constitutionality  of  its  legislative  or  administra- 
tive acts,  if  those  acts  are  palpably  unconstitutional,  resist- 
ance becomes  a  duty.  The  case  was  unprecedented,  and 
good  men  on  both  sides  may  have  erred. 

Before  this  same  Synod  came  the  case  of  the  Rev. 
George  Duffield,  upon  his  complaint  against  the  Presbytery 
of  Carlisle.  The  judicial  committee  reported  it  as  in 
order,  and  recommended  that  it  be  taken  up.  But  it  ap- 
pearing that  neither  the  complaint  nor  the  reasons  for  it 
had  been  given  to  the  Presbytery  or  its  Moderator  within 
the  prescribed  ten  days,  it  was,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Junkin, 
resolved,  that  no  complaint  was  regularly  before  the  Synod. 
But,  the  Presbytery  and  Mr.  Duffield  having  signified  their 
willingness  to  proceed,  the  Synod  took  up  the  case.  After 
reading  the  papers  and  hearing  the  parties,  a  motion,  made 
by  Mr.  Junkin  and  seconded  by  Mr.  Steel,  was  adopted,  in 
the  words  following,  viz. : 

"Whereas,  The  principal  complaint  of  Mr.  Duffield 
against  the  proceedings  of  the  Presbytery  of  Carlisle,  and 
that  on  which  the  other  two  rest,  and  from  which  they 
spring,  is  '  that  without  the  preferring  of  charges,  citation, 
and  other  steps  of  judicial  process,  the  Presbytery  have,  in 
fact,  condemned  him  as  heretical ;'  and 

"Whereas,  The  Synod  are  distinctly  informed  that  the 
Presbytery  intend,  as  soon  as  practicable,  to  commence 
and  issue  such  process  :   therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  further  progress  in  the  present  complaint 
is  unnecessary,  if  not  improper,  until  the  Presbytery  shall 
have  brought  the  contemplated  trial  of  Mr.  Duffield  to 
an  issue,  which  they  are  hereby  enjoined  to  do  as  soon  as 
possible."* 

This  paper  was  offered  at  the  close  of  Mr.  Duffield's  ar- 
gument on  his  complaint,  and  before  the  defence  of  the 

*  Minutes,  pp.  13,  14. 


238  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

Presbytery  was  heard ;  but,  on  request,  it  was  withdrawn 
until  after  the  Presbytery  was  heard,  and  then  adopted. 

Mr.  Duffield  had  written  a  book  entitled  "Duffield  on 
Regeneration,"  containing,  as  the  Presbytery  alleged,  very 
serious  errors,  kindred  to  some  pertaining  to  the  "  New 
Divinity;"  and,  as  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes,  the  Presby- 
tery tried  the  book  instead  of  the  man.  This,  it  would 
seem,  Mr.  Junkin  did  not  esteem  the  right  process  of  dis- 
cipline, and  hence  he  interposed  with  this  paper.  The 
facts  are  here  recorded  not  only  as  part  of  the  history  of 
the  great  disruption,  but  in  order  to  show  that  before  Mr. 
Barnes'  book  on  the  Romans  was  published,  and  before 
Mr.  Junkin  could  have  anticipated  that  he  would  ever 
assume  the  unenviable  position  of  a  prosecutor,  he  was  on 
record  in  favor  of  regular  discipline,  by  trying  not  a  book, 
but  its  author. 

It  may  be  proper  to  add  here,  in  regard  to  Mr.  Duffield's 
case,  that  his  trial  before  his  Presbytery  began  on  the  nth 
of  April  the  next  year  (1833).  The  charges  were  ten  in 
number.  The  Presbytery  found  them  all  sustained  except 
two;  and  then  entered  a  minute  stating  that  "As  Mr. 
Duffield  alleges  that  Presbytery  has  misinterpreted  some  of 
his  expressions,  and  says,  in  fact,  that  he  does  hold  all  the 
doctrines  of  the  Standards,  and  that  he  wishes  to  live  in 
amity  with  his  brethren,      .     .     .     therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  Presbytery,  at  present,  do  not  censure 
him,  any  further  than  to  warn  him  to  guard  against  such 
speculations  as  may  impugn  the  doctrines  of  our  church, 
and  that  he  study  to  maintain  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
bond  of  peace." 

Against  this  very  gentle  decision,  Mr.  Duffield  gave 
notice  of  appeal  to  the  General  Assembly,  but  he  never 
prosecuted  it.  When  the  case  came  before  the  Synod  of 
Philadelphia  for  review,  in  October,  1833,  the  considera- 
tion  of  it  was  postponed    on  account  of  Mr.    Duffield's 


DR.    BEECUER   AND   LAAE   SEMINARY. 


239 


absence  from  illness.  Next  year  it  was  taken  up,  and  the 
Synod  censured  the  leniency  of  the  Presbytery.*  Thus 
ended  the  case  of  Mr.  Duffield,  adding  another  to  the 
many  proofs  already  furnished,  in  the  history  of  this 
period,  that  error  was  spreading,  and  that,  as  yet,  it  had 
not  been  reached  by  effective  discipline.  All  this  was  pro- 
ducing its  effect  upon  the  mind  of  the  subject  of  this  me- 
moir ;  and  whilst  these  things  were  calculated  to  discourage 
any  ordinary  mind  from  making  any  further  attempts  to 
arrest  the  progress  of  the  New  Theology,  they  but  con- 
firmed his  in  the  conviction  that  it  was  somebody's  duty 
to  make  a  more  effective  effort. 

Meanwhile  the  struggle  went  on  in  the  public  journals 
and  in  the  various  church  courts ;  other  combatants  were 
entering  the  lists  from  without  the  church;  and  thus  the 
necessity  of  conservative  efforts  became  more  and  more 
apparent. 

Arthur  Tappan,  Esq.,  had  liberally  endowed  a  Professor- 
ship in  Lane  Seminary,  near  Cincinnati,  and,  in  1832, 
nominated  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher,  of  Boston,  to  the 
Chair  of  Theology.     Mr.  Gillett  says: 

"The  condition  of  the  endowment  was  not  unaccept- 
able to  the  prominent  men  in  the  Western  field.  His  acces- 
sion to  their  ranks  was  hailed  with  gratulation,  and  Dr. 
Nelson,  of  Danville,  and  Dr.  Wilson,  of  Cincinnati,  as 
well  as  the  Princeton  Professors,  were  consulted  in  the 
matter,  and  gave  expression  of  their  satisfaction  with  the 
arrangement.  Dr.  Beecher  accepted  of  the  appointment, 
and  removed  to  Cincinnati  in  September,  1832.  On  his 
way  he  transferred  his  ecclesiastical  relations  to  the  Third 
Presbytery  of  New  York,  and  by  that  body  was  dismissed 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati.  It  was  a  step  well  calcu- 
lated to  excite  distrust ;  and  he  had  been  only  a  short  time 
at  his  post  when  his  doctrinal  views  began  to  excite  suspi- 
cion.    He  was  not  a  man  to  conceal  his  sentiments,  and 

*  Baird's  History,  p.  467,  and  Min.  of  Synod  of  1834,  pp.  17,  18. 


24o  LIFE   OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

courted  rather  than  shunned   investigation.     Dr.  Wilson 
became  his  prosecutor."* 

This  trial  of  Dr.  Beecher  did  not  take  place  till  1835, 
and  was  almost  synchronous  with  that  of  Mr.  Barnes  ;  and 
it  is  here  alluded  to,  in  order  to  show  that  there  was  a 
growing  apprehension  throughout  the  church  that  the  doc- 
trines of  her  Standards  were  being  undermined,  and  the 
means  of  propagating  error  increased.  Mr.  Gillett  justly 
says,  that  the  mode  of  Dr.  Beecher' s  translation  from  the 
Congregational  Church  to  the  Presbyterian  was  "well  cal- 
culated to  excite  distrust."  It  was  asked,  Why  did  he  not 
go  directly  to  the  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati,  in  the  bounds 
of  which  he  expected  to  labor?  Why  apply  (in  writing, 
too,  and  not  by  personal  application)  to  the  Third  Presby- 
tery of  New  York,  which  at  that  time  was  considered  by 
the  Old  School  as  peculiarly  zealous  for  the  innovations 
in  doctrine  and  order?  And  as  this  thing  was  done  on  his 
way  West,  it  seemed  entirely  unnecessary,  upon  the  hypoth- 
esis that  he  was  what  a  Professor  of  Theology  in  a  Presby- 
terian Seminary  ought  to  be.  He  was  credibly  reported  to 
have  said  to  a  distinguished  Professor  of  a  college  in  that 
region,  "I  have  been  chosen,  and  come  to  make  the  West 
what  New  England  is,  and  I  can  do  it.  I  have  pledge  of 
co-operation  of  eminent  men;   and  you  must  help  me." 

No  wonder,  then,  that  under  these  circumstances  his 
advent  excited  apprehension.  When  admitted  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Cincinnati,  on  certificate  from  the  Third 
Presbytery  of  New  York,  the  venerable  Dr.  J.  L.  Wilson 
offered  a  protest,  which  was  refused  a  place  on  the  record. 
Thereupon  a  motion  was  made  to  appoint  a  committee  to 
inquire  into  the  rumors  charging  Dr.  Beecher  with  doc- 
trinal error.  This  motion  was  rejected.  A  similar  one,  made 
in  April,  1833,  was  indefinitely  postponed.    Other  causes  of 

*  Gillett's  History,  vol.  ii.  pp.  462,  463. 


DR.    BEECHES? S   TSIAL.  241 

delay  intervened;  until  at  length,  in  November,  1834,  Dr. 
Wilson  tabled  charges  against  Dr.  Beecher  for  unsoundness 
in  certain  doctrines,  for  slandering  the  church  of  God  by 
attributing  these  errors  to  her  as  her  received  doctrines, 
and  for  dissimulation  in  professing  to  adopt  the  Confes- 
sion of  Faith,  when  he  did  not  really  believe  it.  The 
Presbytery,  the  majority  of  which  were  New  School,  post- 
poned the  trial,  first  from  November  to  April,  and  then  to 
June,  1835. 

"The  trial,"  says  Mr.  Gillett,  "continued  for  several 
days  with  unabated  interest.  But  the  vindication  of  Dr. 
Beecher  was  so  complete  that,  by  a  vote  of  nearly  two  to 
one,  it  was  resolved  that  the  charges  be  not  sustained.  Dr. 
Wilson  appealed  to  the  Synod.  Here  the  case  was  gone 
over  anew,  and  again  he  was  defeated.  From  the  decision 
of  the  Synod  he  appealed  to  the  Assembly  of  1836;  but, 
on  learning  of  the  facts  in  regard  to  another  case,  which 
was  to  come  before  that  body,  in  which  the  same  principles 
were  involved,  he  asked  and  obtained  leave  to  withdraw 
his  appeal."* 

Mr.  Gillett  appears  not  to  have  had  access  to  the  Minutes 
of  the  Synod,  nor  to  have  been  informed  of  the  process 
of  trial  before  that  body,  or  he  would  not  have  so  curtly 
recorded  as  a  fact  that  Dr.  Wilson  "was  again  defeated." 
The  historical  verity  is,  that  Dr.  Beecher  made  such  state- 
ments and  explanations  as  went  far  to  satisfy  the  majority 
of  Synod,  and  even  Dr.  Wilson  himself,  that  he  was  not  so 
far  astray  as  had  been  feared.  And  yet,  so  far  from  being 
"defeated,"  Dr.  Wilson's  appeal  was  sustained,  because 
there    was    no    reason    to    censure    him;     and    "Because, 

*  Gillett's  History,  vol.  ii.  p.  465.  In  a  note  at  the  bottom  of  that  page, 
signed  "  F.,"  it  is  stated,  "  The  real  fact  was,  some  rogue  on  the  boat  on  the 
Ohio  River  stole  the  Doctor's  coat,  money,  and  papers  in  the  case  of  Dr. 
Beecher ;  and  he  was  glad  of  any  excuse  for  dropping  the  matter."  Who 
"  F."  is,  or  whence  his  information,  I  do  not  know;  but  I  have  means  of 
knowing  that  the  insinuation  does  injustice  to  Dr.  Wilson. 

21 


242  LIFE    OF  DR.    GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

although  the  charges  of  hypocrisy  and  slander  are  not 
proved ;  and  although  Synod  see  nothing  in  his  views,  as 
explained  by  himself,  to  justify  any  suspicion  of  unsoundness 
in  the  faith  ;  yet,  on  the  subject  of  the  depraved  nature  of 
man,  and  total  depravity,  and  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  effectual  calling,  and  the  subject  of  ability,  they  are  of 
opinion  that  Dr.  Beecher  has  indulged  in  a  disposition  to 
philosophize,  instead  of  exhibiting  in  simplicity  and  plain- 
ness, the  doctrines  taught  in  the  Scriptures ;  and  has 
employed  terms,  and  phrases,  and  modes  of  illustration, 
calculated  to  convey  ideas  inconsistent  with  the  word  of 
God  and  our  Confession  of  Faith ;  and  that  he  ought  to  be, 
and  hereby  is  admonished  to  be,  more  guarded  in  future." 

Dr.  Beecher  acquiesced  in  this  decision ;  and  the  Synod 
advised  him  to  publish  "as  early  as  possible,  in  pamphlet 
form,  a  concise  statement  of  the  argument  and  design  of 
his  sermon  on  native  ability,  and  of  his  views  of  total 
depravity,  original  sin,  and  regeneration,  agreeably  to  his 
declarations  and  explanations  made  before  Synod."  This 
Dr.  Beecher  did,  in  a  pamphlet  as  large  as  a  small  volume, 
and  which  was  received  as  substantially  sound. 

Now,  the  only  aim  of  Dr.  Wilson  was  to  preserve  the 
purity  of  the  church  in  regard  to  doctrine ;  and  when  the 
Synod  declared  that  they  had  just  grounds  of  apprehension 
in  regard  to  Dr.  Beecher,  and  "admonished"  the  latter, 
and  Dr.  Beecher  accepted  the  admonition,  promised  to  do 
better,  and  actually  did  publish  a  correction  of  his  "terms, 
and  phrases,  and  modes  of  illustration,  calculated  to  convey 
ideas  inconsistent  with  the  word  of  God  and  our  Confes- 
sion of  Faith,"  it  seems  to  us  that,  so  far  from  being 
"  defeated, ' '  Dr.  Wilson  substantially  gained  his  cause.  The 
real  cause  of  his  withdrawal  of  the  appeal,  Mr.  Gillett 
truly  states  in  his  text,  viz.,  the  fact  that  the  case  of  Mr. 
Barnes  involved  the  same  principles. 

The  history  of  this  case,  in  all  its  stages,  clearly  proves 


LENITY  OF  THE    COURTS.  243 

that,  whilst  the  great  majority  of  the  ministers  and  elders 
were  sound  in  the  faith,  there  was  a  marked  reluctance  to 
administer  discipline  upon  individuals,  and  a  disposition  to 
accept  of  any  explanations  that  would,  in  the  judgment  of 
charity,  relieve  them  from  censure.  So  far  from  exhibiting 
a  spirit  of  severity  and  persecution,  the  courts  leaned  to 
the  opposite  extreme,  and  exercised  great  lenity.  All  this 
but  postponed  a  crisis  which  the  tendency  of  things  ren- 
dered inevitable. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Assembly  of  1833 — Beman's  Secret  Circular — Philadelphia  Difficulties — 
Committee  of  Compromise — Refusal  to  hear  the  Synod— Compromise  all 
on  One  Side — Action  of  Synod  of  Philadelphia  of  1833 — Second  Presbytery 
nullifies — Assembly  of  1834  erects  an  Elective  Affinity  Synod,  named 
Wilmington — Protests  and  Answers — Western  Memorial,  its  Origin  and 
Objects — Its  Treatment  by  the  Assembly — Action  in  regard  to  it— Pro- 
test against  said  Action — Meeting  of  Old  School  Men — Act  and  Testi- 
mony— Its  History  and  Contents — Its  Reception  by  Different  Parties,  and 
Opposition  to  it — Position  of  Princeton — Gillett's  Characteristics  of  it — 
Its  Defenders — Dr.  A.  Alexander's  Views — Results. 

IN  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  of  1832,  Mr.  Junkin  had 
been  appointed  chairman  of  a  committee  to  defend  the 
Synod  in  the  following  General  Assembly,  against  the  ap- 
peal of  the  Rev.  George  Duffield.  Messrs.  Kennedy,  Potts, 
J.  Williamson,  and  McCalla  were  members  of  the  commit- 
tee. He  was  also  a  member  of  the  committee,  of  which 
Mr.  McCalla  was  head,  to  defend  the  decision  of  the  Synod 
in  the  case  of  the  Second  (Affinity)  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia. Mr.  Duffield's  appeal  was  never  prosecuted,  and 
the  General  Assembly  of  1833  managed  to  exclude  the 
Synod  from  a  hearing  in  the  latter  case,  and  did  not  even 
consult  the  committee  privately;  although,  as  we  shall  see, 
the  action  of  the  Assembly  was  professedly  based,  in  part, 
upon  an  alleged  consultation  with  thirty-one  members  of 
the  Synod  at  an  interview  sought  by  the  Assembly's  com- 
mittee.* 

As  the  combat  deepened,  numbers  became  of  importance 
to  both  parties  in  the  General  Assembly,  and,  no  doubt, 
both,  to  some  extent,  used  means  for  obtaining  a  majority 

*  Baird's  History,  p.  397  ;  Min.  Assembly,  1833. 
(  244) 


MIDDLE   MEN"   AND   "PEACE   MEN: 


245 


of  their  friends.  On  the  New  School  side  a  printed  circu- 
lar letter  was  quietly  issued,  and  sent  to  parties  supposed 
to  be  worthy  of  confidence,  over  the  signature  of  Dr.  N. 
S.  S.  Beman.  This  contained,  among  other  things,  the 
following  requests: 

"Will  you  look  well  to  the  Commissioners  who  attend 
the  next  General  Assembly?  Observe  the  following  par- 
ticulars :  1.  Be  sure  to  elect  your  full  number,  both  lay  and 
clerical.  2.  Let  them  be  peace  and  union  men,  men  who 
will  take  correct  ground  in  relation  to  those  movements 
which  are  intended  to  excite  jealousies  and  divisions  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  3.  Be  sure  and  have  all  the  com- 
missioners attend.  4.  Insist  on  their  being  present  in 
Philadelphia  at  least  a  day  before  the  Assembly  opens.  5. 
Request  them  to  attend  and  report  their  names  at  the  lec- 
ture-room of  Dr.  Skinner's  church,  in  Arch  Street,  on 
Wednesday,  the  15th  of  May,  at  half-past  seven  o'clock. 
Affectionately  yours, 

"N.  S.  S.  Beman."* 

When,  two  years  later,  the  Old  School  publicly  called 
a  Convention  of  their  friends,  before  the  meeting  of  the 
Assembly  of  Pittsburg,  the  measure  was  denounced  as  un- 
presbyterial  and  unjustifiable ;  and  yet  the  proposed  meet- 
ing in  Dr.  Skinner's  church  was  but  the  prototype  of  the 
Convention.  Thus  rallied,  the  Assembly  of  1833  was  com- 
posed of  commissioners,  a  majority  of  whom  were  in  favor 
of  further  compromise  measures.  That  majority  was  not 
entirely  made  up  of  New  School  men,  but  of  them  and 
of  those  called  at  the  time  "Middle  men"  and  "Peace 
men." 

The  latter  were  sound  in  the  faith,  but  disposed,  as  long 
and  as  far  as  possible,  to  avoid  a  resort  to  measures  of 
reform  which  might  be  considered  extreme. 

The    General   Assembly  appointed   a  "  Committee    of 

*  Presbyterian,  1855,  pp.  63,  70. 
21* 


246  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

Compromise,"  with  instructions  "to  endeavor  to  effect  a 
compromise,  if  practicable,  between  the  parties  concerned" 
in  the  Philadelphia  cases.  To  this  Committee  the  papers 
and  parties  were  referred.  But,  instead  of  hearing  the 
parties,  or  allowing  them  to  be  heard  before  the  Assem- 
bly, this  Committee  called  a  meeting  of  such  members  of 
the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  as  were  in  the  city,  a  majority 
of  whom  happened  to  be  of  the  New  School.  They  did 
not  give  the  Committee  of  Synod  an  audience,  nor,  so  far 
as  is  known,  consult  their  wishes.  They  voted  that  it  was 
best  to  suppress  all  papers,  and  leave  matters  as  they  then 
were.  They  reported  that  they  had  had  an  interview  with 
several  members  of  the  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  subsequently  with  thirty-one  members  of  the 
Synod  of  Philadelphia,  assembled  at  the  request  of  the 
Committee  ;  that,  after  a  free  conference  with  both  parties, 
the  Committee  are  enabled  to  recommend  to 
the  Assembly  the  following  resolution,  viz.  : 

"Resolved,  That  the  complainants  in  these  cases  have 
leave  to  withdraw  their  complaints,  and  that  the  consider- 
ation of  all  other  papers  relating  to  the  Second  Presbytery 
be  indefinitely  postponed." 

Thus,  by  an  indirection,  and  without  hearing  the  com- 
plaints against  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  or  the  Synod's 
Committee  in  defence  of  her  acts,  the  Assembly,  in  effect, 
sustained  the  complaints,  disregarded  the  expressed  wishes 
of  that  Synod  and  the  Synods  of  Pittsburg  and  Cincin- 
nati, and  perpetuated  the  Elective  Affinity  Presbytery. 
The  Committee  appointed  to  defend  the  action  of  Synod 
sent  in  at  once  a  remonstrance  against  the  course  pur- 
sued, and  claimed  their  right  to  be  heard.  Efforts  were 
made  to  induce  them  to  withdraw  this  paper,  but  the 
Committee  of  the  Synod  refused  to  do  it,  and  it  was  con- 
signed to  a  convenient  grave  in  the  Committee  of  Bills 
and  Overtures. 


SECOND   PRESBYTERY  NULLIFIES. 


247 


At  the  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  in  the 
ensuing  October,  held  in  Columbia,  Mr.  McCalla,  as  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  to  defend  the  Synod  against  the 
complaints  in  the  case  of  the  Second  Presbytery,  made 
report  of  the  result  in  the  General  Assembly.  Mr.  Gilbert 
moved  the  recognition,  by  the  Synod,  of  the  Second  Pres- 
bytery, and  the  rescinding  of  all  former  acts  of  the  Synod 
inconsistent  therewith.  Mr.  Engles  moved  a  substitute, 
which  recited,  in  a  preamble,  the  history  of  the  case ;  and 
then,  in  a  series  of  resolutions,  which,  first  reprobating  the 
acts  of  the  General  Assembly  in  erecting  and  continuing  the 
Presbytery  as  unconstitutional,  and  tending  to  prostrate  dis- 
cipline, recognized  the  Presbytery  (Second)  as  a  constituent 
element  of  Synod,  united  it  to  the  First  Presbytery,  and  then 
divided  the  Presbytery  thus  united,  into  two,  by  a  line  ex- 
tending through  Market  Street.*  This  was  proposed  to  be 
done  by  the  unquestioned  constitutional  right  of  a  Synod 
to  unite  and  divide  Presbyteries.  Dr.  Green  proposed  an- 
other paper,  embodying  substantially  the  same  principles, 
yet  proposing  to  treat  the  Elective  Affinity  Presbytery  as  a 
nullity,  and  refusing  to  admit  its  members  as  members  of 
Synod  unless  they  would  consider  and  treat  the  so-called 
Presbytery  as  a  nullity.  After  considerable  discussion,  the 
Synod  refused  to  postpone  Mr.  Engles'  paper,  and,  after 
an  amendment,  running  the  line  up  the  Schuylkill  from 
the  west  end  of  Market  Street,  it  was  adopted. f 

The  Second  Presbytery  nullified  this  action  of  the  Synod, 
and  continued  its  meetings  and  business.  Appeal  and  com- 
plaint against  the  action  of  Synod  were  carried  up,  and 
the  war  about  Elective  Affinity  courts  went  on. 

The  Assembly  of  1834,  constituted  much  as  its  imme- 
diate predecessor  had  been,  as  regards  parties,  sustained  the 
complaints  against  the  Synod ;  and  not  only  reversed  the 

*  Min.  Synod,  pp.  6,  7.  f  Ibid.,  pp.  7,  n. 


248  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

act  of  Synod  by  which  the  two  Philadelphia  Presbyteries 
were  united,  but  pronounced  it  to  be  void,  whilst  they  at 
the  same  time  recognized  that  part  of  the  same  action  by 
which  the  (Old)  Presbytery  had  been  divided  to  be  valid, 
and  continued  that  division.*  By  this  action,  the  Assem- 
bly not  only,  as  the  Old  School  alleged,  usurped  the  pre- 
rogative of  the  Synod,  but,  after  creating  a  Presbytery 
against  the  will  of  the  Synod,  and  forcing  it  into  the 
Synod,  at  the  same  time  made  it  independent  of  the  Synod, 
in  contravention  of  the  powers  explicitly  guaranteed  to 
Synods  by  the  constitution. 

But,  not  contented  with  this  action,  the  General  Assem- 
bly proceeded  to  insure  the  life  of  the  Elective  Affinity 
Presbytery,  against  the  power  of  the  Synod  of  Philadel- 
phia, by  erecting  a  new  Synod  for  its  protection. 

The  Synod  had  very  recently  erected  the  Presbytery  of 
Wilmington  out  of  that  of  New  Castle,  and  there  was  a 
small  Presbytery,  named  Lewes,  in  the  State  of  Delaware. 
Majorities  in  both  these  Presbyteries  sympathized  with  the 
Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  (Assembly's),  and  out  of 
these  three  the  Synod  of  Delaware  was  erected. f  Thus 
was  there  not  only  a  Presbytery  without  fixed  geographical 
limits,  but  a  Synod  also,  presenting  the  anomalous  condi- 
tion of  an  imperium  in  imperio.  It  was  in  the  course  of  the 
discussions  upon  the  subject  of  the  Elective  Affinity  Presby- 
tery, that  the  venerable  and  excellent  Rev.  James  Patter- 
son, with  a  frankness  which  his  more  wary  brethren  scarcely 
relished  at  the  time,  argued  that  there  was  a  necessity  for 
such  a  Presbytery  for  the  convenience  of  licensing,  ordain- 
ing, and  admitting  to  the  ministry  men  who  could  not  so 
fully  adopt  the  Confession  as  the  old  Presbytery  and  the 
old  Synod  required  them  to  do. 

Against  the  acts  of  the  Assembly,  based  upon  the  "  elect - 

*  Min.  Assembly,  1834,  p.  17.  f  Ibid.,  p.  37. 


INTENSE   FEELING    OF  ALARM.  249 

ive  affinity  principle,"  and  usurping  the  powers  of  Synod, 
the  voting  minority  solemnly  protested.  The  Commis- 
sioners of  the  Synod,  having  been  excluded  from  a  vote, 
could  not  join  in  this  protest.  The  protestants  assigned 
as  reasons  for  their  opposition  :  1.  The  unconstitutionality 
of  the  acts,  being  in  contravention  of  powers  exclusively 
belonging  to  Synods.  2.  That  the  elective  affinity  prin- 
ciple of  constituting  church  courts  was  subversive  of  all 
discipline.  The  majority  replied  to  their  arguments  by  as- 
serting:  1.  The  supreme  power  of  the  Assembly  to  do  such 
acts,  under  the  clause  giving  that  body  power  to  "decide 
in  all  controversies  respecting  doctrine  and  discipline,  and 
to  issue  all  appeals  and  references  brought  before  them 
from  the  inferior  judicatories."  2.  From  precedents  in 
which,  in  extraordinary  occasions,  the  Assembly  had  exer- 
cised the  right  of  organizing  Presbyteries.  [These  were  be- 
yond the  bounds  of  any  Synod,  or  where  the  territory 
comprised  in  the  new  Presbytery  belonged  to  two  Synods.] 
3.  That  the  Assembly  was  the  only  judge  of  constitutional 
law.  4.  They  cited  the  precedents  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  where  geographical  boundaries  had  not  been  re- 
garded in  the  construction  of  Presbyteries.* 

The  proceedings  of  the  General  Assembly,  resulting  in 
the  erection  of  an  elective  affinity  Synod,  to  protect,  as 
the  Old  School  alleged,  the  elective  affinity  Presbytery, 
aroused  the  intensest  feeling  of  alarm  among  the  friends 
of  strict  constitutional  construction.  They  thought  they 
saw,  in  these  measures,  a  deliberate  purpose  to  prostrate 
the  discipline  of  the  church,  and  open  the  doors  for 
the  influx  of  error  in  doctrine  and  order.  They  beheld 
the  Supreme  Judicatory  of  the  Church  discouraging  ef- 
forts to  resist  the  spread  of  error,  and  opening,  as  they 

*  Min.  Assembly,  pp.  657,  658. 


25 o  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

verily  believed,  doors  of  entrance  for  ministers  hostile  to 
our  system. 

With  Presbyteries  pledged  to  admit  intrants  with  clean 
papers,  without  examination,  with  a  Synod  to  sanction 
the  acts  of  these  Presbyteries,  and  with  the  right  of 
other  Presbyteries  to  examine  intrants  and  refuse  admis- 
sion, if  they  had  regular  credentials,  denied  ;  they  deemed 
the  facilities  for  flooding  the  church  with  unsound  teach- 
ing wellnigh  complete.  They  felt  that  a  crisis  had  come, 
demanding  extraordinary  efforts  to  avert  these  dangers.* 

Another  part  of  the  proceedings  of  this  Assembly  which 
tended  to  arouse  the  conservative  elements  of  the  church  to 
vigorous  action,  was  their  treatment  of  an  overture  which 
has  usually  been  designated  as  "  The  Western  Memorial." 
The  acts  of  the  Assemblies  of  1832  and  1833  had  forced 
upon  many  of  the  most  sound  and  godly  men  in  the  church 
a  conviction  that  a  revolution  was  in  progress,  which,  if 
not  arrested,  would  change  the  entire  system  of  doctrine 
and  order  which  she  had  so  long  and  so  firmly  maintained. 
Conferences  were  held  by  ministers  and  elders,  accom- 
panied by  much  prayer,  and  a  spirit  of  earnest,  solemn  re- 
sistance to  the  innovations  was  awakened.  In  one  of  these 
the  "Western  Memorial"  originated.  The  first  meeting 
was  held  at  the  house  of  Elder  John  Montfort,  in  Monroe 
Township,  Butler  County,  Ohio.  There  were  eleven  min- 
isters and  ten  ruling  elders  present.  The  Rev.  Francis  Mont- 
fort was  Moderator,  and  the  Revs.  Sayers  Gazlay  and  John 
L.  Belville,  clerks.  Much  time  was  spent  in  earnest  prayer 
for  Divine  direction.  Letters  from  Drs.  Green,  Wilson, 
and   others  were  read.      The  evils  which  they  deplored 

*  They  honestly  thought  that  the  Presbytery  (Assembly's)  and  the  Synod 
of  Delaware  were  erected  to  shield  the  errors  attributed  to  Mr.  Barnes,  and 
to  facilitate  the  influx  of  teachers  of  the  New  Theology.  This  design  could 
not  be  attributed  to  all  who  voted  for  these  measures,  although  to  most  it 
probably  might. 


WESTERN  MEMORIAL.  251 

were  made  subjects  of  conversation,  and  a  Committee  ap- 
pointed to  embody  the  thoughts  and  suggestions  expressed 
by  the  members  in  a  memorial  to  the  General  Assembly. 
The  paper  was  submitted  to  the  Conference  during  the 
next  sessions  of  the  Synod  of  Cincinnati.* 

The  memorial  was  a  long  and  very  able  paper,  too  long 
to  transfer  to  these  pages.  It  can  be  found  at  length  in 
the  Assembly's  Digest. f  It  set  forth,  in  grave,  dignified, 
and  decisive,  but  respectful,  terms,  the  evils  by  which  the 
memorialists  believed  the  church  to  be  distracted  and 
endangered ;  and  enumerated  certain  acts  of  previous 
General  Assemblies,  which  tended,  as  the  memorialists 
thought,  to  perpetuate  and  increase  these  evils. 

"These  evils,"  they  say,  "have  greatly  disturbed  the 
peace  of  our  Zion,  paralyzed  its  strength,  and  exposed  it  to 
reproach.  And  notwithstanding  the  efforts  which  have  been 
made  to  arrest  their  progress,  nothing  satisfactory  has  been 

accomplished Plainly  as  the  path  is  marked  out 

in  our  excellent  constitution,  it  is  with  grief  that  we  feel 
constrained  to  say  that  for  some  years  past  a  policy  of  an 
evasive  character  has  distinguished  many  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  General  Assemblies,  as  also  a  number  of  inferior 
judicatories,  wherein  they  have,  apparently  at  least,  sought 
to  avoid  a  prompt  discharge  of  their  constitutional  duties, 
and  have  substituted  a  course  of  procedure  unknown  and 
repugnant  to  the  prescribed  order  of  our  form  of  govern- 
ment. Although  this  has  been  applauded  as  a  policy 
wisely  calculated  to  prevent  evils  and  preserve  peace,  yet 
we  are  compelled  to  view  it  in  a  different  light ;  and 
as  indicating  that  there  is  a  widely  spread  principle  of 
evil  operating  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  the  general 
change  of  its  form  of  government  and  the  character  of  its 
creed.  We  feel  alarmed  at  the  evidences  which  press  upon 
us  of  the  prevalence  of  unsoundness  in  doctrine  and  laxity 
in  discipline;  and  we  view  it  as  an  aggravating  considera- 
tion, that  the  General  Assembly,  the  constitutional  guardian 

*  Baird's  Hist.,  pp.  406-408.  t  Digest,  659-668. 


252  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

of  the  church's  purity,  even  when  a  knowledge  of  such 
evils  has  been  brought  before  it  in  an  orderly  manner,  has, 
within  a  few  years  past,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  refused 
to  apply  the  constitutional  remedy." 

They  then  proceed  to  enumerate  certain  evils,  and  the 
sources  of  these  evils.  The  Plan  of  Union  of  1801  ; 
the  custom  of  permitting  candidates  or  intrants  to  adopt 
the  Standards  with  a  reservation  of  the  right  to  put 
their  own  construction  upon  them ;  the  ordination  of 
men  sine  titulo,  by  Presbyteries  in  the  East,  to  be  sent  to 
labor  in  the  bounds  of  other  Presbyteries.  This  last  they 
allege  to  have  been  done  in  many  cases  for  the  purpose 
of  introducing  into  our  ministry  men  of  inferior  attain- 
ments or  of  unsound  creed,  and  they  specify  cases  where 
six,  eight,  and  ten  young  men,  just  licensed,  had  been  so 
ordained,  and  who,  after  being  "suddenly,  nominally,  and 
geographically  converted  into  Presbyterian  ministers,"  had 
been  thus  sent  forth.  A  fourth  grievance  was  the  opera- 
tion of  voluntary  and  irresponsible  missionary  associations 
within  our  church.  They  remonstrate  against  the  erection 
of  elective  affinity  courts  ;  and,  in  the  last  place,  they  testify 
against  nine  enumerated  errors  in  doctrine  which  they 
allege  to  be  taught  in  the  writings  of  Beman,  Duffield, 
Barnes,  and  Beecher.  They  close  their  memorial  with 
an  earnest  plea  for  redress  of  these  grievances  in  a  con- 
stitutional way. 

As  the  innovating  party,  aided  by  the  "middle  men," 
had  a  controlling  majority  in  this  Assembly,  this  paper 
was  treated  in  a  way  accordant  with  the  wishes  of  that 
majority.  When  reported  by  the  Committee  of  Bills  and 
Overtures,  it  was  put  upon  the  docket  without  being  read. 
There  it  remained  until  the  ninth  day  of  the  session.  Then 
it  was  referred  to  a  special  committee.  That  committee 
reported  after  three  days;  and  as  this  report  indicates  the 
a/iiintts  of  the  majority,  and  contains  a  demand  for  and  a 


RESOLUTIONS  RECOMMENDED.  253 

vindication  of  this   course  subsequently  pursued    by  Dr. 
Junkin,  it  is  here  inserted. 

After  the  usual  formulary  of  a  report,  and  the  statement 
that  the  memorial  had  been  adopted  by  about  nine  Pres- 
byteries and  signed  by  eighteen  ministers  and  ninety-nine 
elders,  they  recommend  the  adoption  of  the  following 
Resolutions  : 

"  1.  That  this  Assembly  cannot  sanction  the  censure 
contained  in  the  memorial,  against  the  proceedings  and 
measures  of  former  General  Assemblies. 

"  2.  That  it  is  deemed  inexpedient  and  undesirable  to 
abrogate  or  interfere  with  the  Plan  of  Union  .  .  .  adopted 
in  1801. 

"3.  That  the  previous  action  of  the  present  Assembly 
on  the  subject  of  ordaining  men,  is  deemed  sufficient. 

"  4.  That  the  duty  of  licensing  and  ordaining  men  to 
the  office  of  the  gospel  ministry,  and  of  guarding  that 
office  against  the  intrusion  of  men  who  are  unqualified  to 
discharge  its  solemn  and  responsible  duties,  or  who  are 
unsound  in  the  faith,  is  committed  to  the  Presbyteries. 
And  should  any  already  in  that  office  be  known  to  be 
fundamentally  erroneous  in  doctrine,  it  is  not  only  the 
privilege,  but  the  duty,  of  Presbyteries  constitutionally  to 
arraign  and  depose  them. 

"5.  That  this  Assembly  bears  solemn  testimony  against 
publishing  to  the  world  ministers  in  good  and  regular 
standing,  as  heretical  or  dangerous,  without  having  been 
constitutionally  tried  and  condemned,  thereby  greatly 
hindering  their  usefulness  as  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Our  excellent  constitution  makes  ample  provision  for  re- 
dressing all  such  grievances ;  and  this  Assembly  enjoins, 
in  all  cases,  a  faithful  compliance,  in  meekness  and  broth- 
erly love,  with  its  requisitions;  having  at  all  times  a 
sound  regard  to  the  purity,  peace,  and  prosperity  of  the 
church. 

"6.  That  this  Assembly  have  no  authority  to  establish 
any  exclusive  mode  of  conducting  missions  ;  but  while  this 
matter  is  left  to  the  discretion  of  individuals  and  inferior 
judicatories,  we  would  recommend  and  solicit  their  willing 
and  efficient  co-operation  with  the  Assembly's  Board. 

22 


254  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

•'7.  That  a  due  regard  to  the  order  of  the  church  and 
the  bonds  of  brotherhood  require,  in  the  opinion  of  this 
Assembly,  that  ministers,  dismissed  in  good  standing  by 
sister  Presbyteries,  should  be  received  by  the  Presbyteries 
which  they  are  dismissed  to  join  upon  the  credit  of  their 
constitutional  testimonials,  unless  they  shall  have  forfeited 
their  good  standing  subsequently  to  their  dismissal. 

"8.  That,  in  the  opinion  of  this  Assembly,  to  take  up, 
and  try,  and  condemn  any  printed  publications  as  heretical 
and  dangerous,  is  equivalent  to  condemning  the  author  as 
heretical ;  that  to  condemn  heresy  in  the  abstract  cannot 
be  understood  as  the  purpose  of  such  trial ;  that  the  results 
of  such  trial  are  to  bear  upon  and  seriously  affect  the  stand- 
ing of  the  author ;  and  that  the  fair  mode  of  procedure  is, 
if  the  author  be  alive  and  known  to  be  of  our  communion, 
to  institute  process  against  him,  and  give  him  a  fair  and 
constitutional  trial. 

"9.  That,  in  receiving  and  adopting  the  formularies  of 
our  church,  every  person  ought  to  be  supposed,  without 
evidence  to  the  contrary,  to  receive  and  adopt  them  accord- 
ing to  the  obvious,  known,  and  established  meaning  of  the 
terms,  as  the  confession  of  his  faith  ;  and  that  if  objections 
be  made,  the  Presbytery,  unless  he  withdraw  such  objections, 
should  not  license,  ordain,  or  admit  him. 

"10.  That,  in  the  judgment  of  this  Assembly,  it  is  expe- 
dient that  Presbyteries  and  Synods,  in  the  spirit  of  charity 
and  forbearance,  adjust  and  settle,  as  far  as  practicable,  all 
their  matters  of  grievance  and  disquietude  without  bring- 
ing them  before  the  General  Assembly  and  the  world  ;  as, 
in  many  cases,  this  tends  to  aggravate  and  continue  them, 
and  to  spread  them  over  the  whole  church,  to  the  great 
grief  of  its  members,  and  injury  of  the  cause  of  religion." 
(Minutes,  1S34,  pp.  25,  26.) 

Against  this  action  an  earnest  protest  was  entered  by  Dr. 
Ashbel  Green,  and  thirty-five  others.  The  reasons  for 
protest  were : 

1.  On  account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  memorial 
had  been  treated,  in  bringing  it  before  the  Assembly.  The 
delay.  The  committing  it  to  a  committee  hostile  to  its 
objects,  who  brought  in  a  report  opposed  to  nearly  all  the 


PROTEST  OF  A  SHE  EL    GREEN. 


255 


memorialists  asked,  and  that  without  allowing  the  memorial 
to  be  read  and  to  speak  for  itself. 

2.  On  account  of  the  claim  of  infallibility  for  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  and  the  censure  inflicted  upon  the  memo- 
rialists, in  the  first  resolution  of  the  report,  for  having 
called  in  question  the  wisdom  of  certain  decisions  of  former 
Assemblies. 

3.  They  protest  against  the  proposal,  in  the  second  reso- 
lution, to  render  the  Plan  of  Union  permanent,  together 
with  all  the  evils  that  have  grown  out  of  that  plan.  The 
plan  itself  they  pronounce  unconstitutional. 

4.  They  protest  against  the  fifth  resolution,  as  interfering 
with  the  liberty  of  speech,  the  liberty  of  the  press,  and 
with  Christian  duty.  It  would  shut  the  mouths  of  God's 
ministers  and  people  as  witnesses  for  the  truth,  and  estop 
all  remonstrance  and  protest  against  error. 

5.  They  protest  against  the  seventh  resolution,  as  denying 
the  right  of  Presbyteries  to  examine  and  judge  of  the  quali- 
fications of  their  own  members,  or  of  those  seeking  to 
become  members,  and  as  opening  doors  for  the  unrestrained 
entrance  of  error  and  errorists.  They  claim  the  right  of 
examination,  as  a  right  inherent  in  every  Presbytery,  and 
protest  against  this  attempt,  by  the  General  Assembly,  to 
sweep  that  right  away,  and  thus  subvert  all  Presbyterial 
order  and  government. 

6.  They  protest  against  the  eighth  resolution,  because  it 
does  the  very  thing  which  the  Assembly  censures  the  me- 
morialists for  doing,  reflecting  upon  former  General  Assem- 
blies for  examining  and  condemning  a  heretical  book 
before  the  author  was  tried.  This  had  been  done  by  the 
Assembly  of  1810,  in  the  case  of  Rev.  W.  C.  Davis;  and 
by  that  of  1798,  in  case  of  Mr.  Balch.  This  eighth  reso- 
lution, they  alleged,  tended  to  destroy  the  mission  of  the 
church  as  a  testifying  body,  and  to  give  license  to  the 
propagation  of  error  if  published  in  books.     They  alluded 


256  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIM. 

to  some  other  points  to  which  they  objected,  and  closed  their 
protest  with  the  following  earnest  plea : 

"We  do,  therefore,  by  the  offering  of  this  protest,  most 
solemnly  and  earnestly  beseech  the  Assembly  to  pause ;  to 
consider  the  probable  consequences  of  their  action  on  this 
memorial,  and  yet  to  retrace  their  steps ;  lest  the  adherents 
to  the  Standards  of  our  church,  in  their  plain  and  obvious 
meaning,  should  find  themselves  constrained,  however  re- 
luctantly, to  resort  to  first  principles,  and  make  their  final 
appeal  to  the  great  Head  of  the  Church."  (Minutes,  1834, 
P-  33-) 

The  acts  of  this  Assembly  in  regard  to  all  the  great 
issues  that  troubled  the  church,  especially  those  in  regard 
to  elective  affinity  courts,  and  to  the  Western  memorial, 
did  more  to  awaken  the  church  to  a  sense  of  her  danger 
than  all  that  had  occurred  before.  The  conservative  men 
saw,  or  thought  they  saw,  in  the  acts  of  this  Assembly  full 
proof  of  what  they  had  long  feared  did  exist, — a  determi- 
nation to  effect  radical  changes,  both  in  the  doctrinal  creed 
and  the  ecclesiastical  order  of  their  beloved  church.  They 
saw  every  effort  to  obtain  a  condemnation  of  doctrines 
which  they  believed  to  be  fundamentally  erroneous,  de- 
feated. They  saw  men  and  opinions,  their  fathers  would 
have  promptly  visited  with  censure,  not  only  tolerated, 
but  peculiarly  honored,  in  the  church.  They  saw  the 
doors  flung  wide  open  for  the  influx  of  error,  by  the 
denial  of  the  right  to  examine  intrants,  and  by  an  order 
from  the  supreme  court  of  the  church  to  receive  men  upon 
the  mere  basis  of  credentials.  They  saw  Presbyteries  and 
a  Synod  organized  for  the  very  purpose,  as  they  verily 
believed,  of  sheltering  error,  and  giving  credentials  to 
men  who  were  not  sound  in  the  faith.  They  saw  a  power- 
ful and  wealthy  Society,  which  acknowledged  no  responsi- 
bility to  the  church  courts,  standing  at  her  very  gates,  ready 
to  send  throughout  the  entire  length  and  breadth  of  the 


ACT  AND    TESTIMONY. 


257 


church  the  men  to  whom  these  "liberal"  Presbyteries 
would  give  credentials.  And  they  saw  that,  by  virtue  of 
the  hold  which  that  Society  had  upon  these  men,  who  were 
supported  by  its  bounty,  the  shrewd  and  talented  Actuaries 
of  that  Society  could  rally  to  the  General  Assembly,  and  to 
many  of  the  inferior  judicatories,  these  zealous  dependents, 
to  vote  the  wishes  of  these  denizen  leaders.  Many  excel  - 
lent  brethren  were  slow  to  be  convinced  that  men,  bearing 
the  Christian  name,  would  do  such  things,  and  claim  to  do 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  But  when,  by  the  action 
of  this  Assembly  of  1834,  the  system  of  innovation  was 
rendered  so  complete,  and  the  plan  so  fully  developed  and 
put  in  working  order,  even  the  "middle  men"  were  con- 
strained to  confess  that  things  wore  an  alarming  aspect. 

During  the  sessions  of  the  Assembly,  a  meeting  of  min- 
isters and  elders  was  held,  on  the  26th  of  May,  for  the 
purpose  of  deliberating  on  the  best  method  of  meeting  this 
alarming  crisis.  The  Rev.  William  Wylie  presided,  and 
Rev.  D.  R.  Preston  acted  as  clerk.  After  earnest  prayer, 
and  a  free  interchange  of  views,  two  committees  were  ap- 
pointed ;  one  to  prepare  a  protest  against  the  act  of  the 
Assembly  in  the  matter  of  elective  affinity  courts,  the  other 
to  draft  an  Act  and  Testimony  to  the  churches  on  the  pres- 
ent crisis.  Of  the  former  committee,  Rev.  Isaac  V.  Brown, 
of  N.  J.,  was  Chairman,  and  of  the  latter,  Dr.  R.  J. 
Breckenridge. 

The  first  committee  prepared  the  protest  noticed  above  ; 
the  other  prepared  the  Act  and  Testimony,  a  paper  that  has 
become  historic  in  our  church,  having,  perhaps,  more  than 
any  other  belonging  to  the  great  struggle,  won  the  loyal 
adherence  of  its  friends,  and  provoked  the  bitter  criticism 
and  opposition  of  its  foes.  It  was  understood  to  have  pro- 
ceeded from  the  pen  of  that  master  of  vigorous  thought 
and  intense  and  lucid  English,  Dr.  Robert  J.  Breckenridge. 
He  consulted  Dr.  Charles  Hodge  in  reference  to  the  doc- 

22* 


258  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

trinal  statements  it  contained ;  and  it  was  understood  that, 
with  one  exception,  the  errors  enumerated  were  denned  by 
that  eminent  Theologian.  The  paper  was  reported  to  a 
meeting  of  the  conference,  held  on  the  28th  of  May.  It 
was  then  referred  to  a  new  committee,  who  made  some 
slight  modifications,  which  were  approved,  when  it  was 
adopted  and  signed.  Thirty-seven  ministers  and  twenty- 
seven  elders  originally  signed  this  document,  but,  as  it 
made  provision  for  receiving  signatures  throughout  the 
church,  it  was  ultimately  signed  by  three  hundred  and 
seventy-four  ministers,  seventeen  hundred  and  eighty-nine 
elders,  and  fourteen  licentiates.  It  was  also  adopted  By 
five  Synods  and  thirty  Presbyteries.  Dr.  Junkin's  name 
appears  the  last  on  the  list  of  ministers  of  its  original  signers, 
as  printed  in  the  Assembly's  Digest.* 

This  remarkable  paper  can  be  seen  at  length  in  the  As- 
sembly's Digest,  and  we  can  place  on  record  here  but  a 
brief  syllabus. 

After  a  grave  and  sedate,  but  affecting,  introduction,  ap- 
pealing to  the  people  and  office-bearers  of  the  church,  the 
paper  sets  forth  the  dangers  that  threaten  her,  and  the  utter 
failure  of  the  measures  heretofore  employed  to  avert  those 
dangers ;  complains  that  the  supreme  judicatory  had  con- 
nived at  and  countenanced  alarming  errors ;  and  then  ex- 
claims : 

"Whither,  then,  can  we  look  for  relief  but  first  to  Him 
who  is  Head  over  all  things,  to  the  church,  which  is  his 
body,  and  then  to  you,  as  constituting  a  part  of  that  body, 
and  as  instruments  in  his  hand  to  deliver  the  church  from 
the  oppression  which  she  sorely  feels? 

"  We  love  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  look  back,  with 
sacred  joy,  to  her  instrumentality  in  promoting  every  good 
and  every  noble  cause  among  men.  .  .  .  We  delight 
to  dwell  on  the  things  which  our  God  hath  wrought  by  her ; 

*  Digest,  p.  677. 


ACT  AND    TESTIMONY. 


259 


and,  by  his  grace  enabling  us,  we  are  resolved  that  our  chil- 
dren shall  not  have  occasion  to  weep  over  an  unfaithfulness 
which  permitted  us  to  stand  idly  by  and  behold  the  ruin  of 
this  glorious  structure." 

The  paper  and  its  signers  then  proceed  to  bear  tes- 
timony— 

1.  Against  the  right  of  interpreting  the  Standards  of  the 
church  in  a  sense  different  from  that  which  had  been  always 
received,  and  according  to  every  man's  will. 

2.  Against  the  unchristian  subterfuge  to  which  many  had 
recourse,  of  avowing  adherence  to  the  Standards  as  a 
system,  and  yet  denying  doctrines  that  are  essential  to  it. 

3.  Against  the  conduct  of  those  in  our  communion  who 
hold,  and  preach,  and  publish  Armenian  and  Pelagian  here- 
sies, pretending  that  they  are  consistent  with  our  creed. 

4.  Against  the  conduct  of  those  who,  professing  to  adopt 
our  doctrine  and  order,  so  preach  and  publish  as  to  bring 
both  into  disrepute. 

5.  Against  the  following,  as  part  of  the  errors  which  are 
held  and  taught  by  many  in  our  church  ; 

1.  Errors  in  regard  to  our  relation  to  Adam.  2.  On  the 
subject  of  native  depravity.  3.  On  the  subject  of  Impu- 
tation. 4.  Ability.  5.  Regeneration.  6.  Divine  influ- 
ence in  the  work  of  grace ;  and  7.  Errors  on  the  Atone- 
ment, viz.,  the  denial  of  the  true  and  proper  vicarious 
nature  of  Christ's  sufferings. 

The  paper  then  sets  forth,  that  the  propagation  of  these 
errors  in  doctrine  had  broken  up  the  peace  and  unity  of 
the  church,  arrayed  its  members  and  ministers  into  parties, 
and  increased  the  causes  of  mutual  alienation.  It  recapit- 
ulates the  efforts  made  for  reform,  and  the  manner  of  their 
defeat,  and  gives  a  list  of  grievances,  including  those 
inflicted  by  the  last  Assembly.  It  then  points  out  the  de- 
partures from,  and  the  innovations  upon,  church  order,  of 
which  they  complain,  and  against  which   they  bear  testi- 


260  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

mony;  and  finally  recommends  a  series  of  measures  for 
redress  of  grievances,  and  the  restoration  of  the  church  to 
her  former  condition  of  peace  and  prosperity  in  the  truth. 
Of  these  there  were  eight,  the  last  being  the  recommenda- 
tion of  a  Convention  to  be  held,  on  the  second  Thursday 
of  May,  1835,  m  tne  city  of  Pittsburg,  "  to  deliberate  and 
consult  on  the  present  state  of  our  church,  and  to  adopt 
such  measures  as  may  be  best  suited  to  restore  her  prostrate 
standards."  The  paper  closes  with  the  following  impressive 
words : 

"And  now,  Brethren,  our  whole  heart  is  laid  open  to 
you  and  to  the  world.  If  the  majority  of  our  church  are 
against  us,  they  will,  we  suppose,  in  the  end,  either  see  the 
infatuation  of  their  course,  and  retrace  their  steps,  or  they 
will  at  last  attempt  to  cut  us  off.  If  the  former,  we  shall 
bless  the  God  of  Jacob  ;  if  the  latter,  we  are  ready,  for  the 
sake  of  Christ,  and  in  support  of  the  testimony  now  made, 
not  only  to  be  cut  off,  but,  if  need  be,  to  die  also.  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  body  be  yet  in  the  main  sound, 'as  we 
would  fondly  hope,  we  have  here,  frankly,  openly,  and 
candidly,  laid  before  our  erring  brethren  the  course  we  are, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  irrevocably  determined  to  pursue. 
It  is  our  steadfast  aim  to  reform  the  church,  or  to  testify 
against  its  errors  and  defections,  until  testimony  will  be  no 
longer  heard.  And  we  commit  the  issue  into  the  hands  of 
Him  who  is  over  all,  God  blessed  forever.     Amen." 

There  was  a  solemn  earnestness  in  the  tone  of  this 
paper,  and  in  the  men  who  signed  it,  that  sent  home  to  all 
hearts  the  conviction  that  they  meant  work,  prayer,  and 
counsel.  It  startled  all  parties  in  the  church.  A  committee 
was  appointed  to  publish  and  circulate  it,  and  it  soon  began 
to  produce  various  effects  upon  the  Presbyterian  public, 
such  as  might  have  been  expected  from  the  state  of  parties 
in  the  church.  By  the  New  School  it  was  hailed  with 
utterances  of  derision  and  displeasure,  not  without  symp- 
toms of  dread  of  its  probable  results.  By  those  who  had 
stood  for  the  order  and  doctrine  of  the  church,  amid  accu- 


"THE   BIBLICAL    REPERTORY:'  26l 

mulated  discouragements,  it  was  received  as  a  harbinger 
of  good.  And  it  was  the  means  of  deciding  many  sound 
and  good  people,  who  clung  to  the  hope  that  matters 
were  not  so  bad  as  some  imagined.  Many  of  the  "  middle 
men"  were  at  last  convinced  that  serious  dangers  threat- 
ened the  church,  and  that  prompt  efforts  to  avert  them 
ought  to  be  inaugurated.  But  others  of  that  party  were 
much  excited  in  an  opposite  direction,  and  waged,  upon 
the  Act  and  Testimony  and  its  friends,  a  war  that  cer- 
tainly was  not  expected  from  men  whose  soundness  in  the 
faith,  and  love  to  our  Zion,  were  so  unquestioned.  The 
Biblical  Repertory,  the  learned  and  able  Quarterly  that 
was  the  exponent  of  the  Theology  and  Polity  of  Princeton, 
bore  down  upon  it  with  such  heavy  assaults  as  its  gifted 
writers  knew  so  well  how  to  make. 

A  feeling  of  deep  regret  pervaded  the  Old  School  men 
who  favored  the  Act  and  Testimony,  produced  by  the 
very  decided  manner  in  which  the  RepertoTj  spoke  in 
reprobation  of  that  document.  The  Presbytery  of  Newton, 
in  the  Synod  of  New  Jersey,  adopted  the  following  minute 
in  reference  thereto : 

"In  view  of  the  peculiar  situation  of  our  church,  and 
of  the  importance  of  combined  and  systematic  effort  to 
rescue  her  from  the  dangers  incident  to  this  crisis, 

"Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  confer,  by 
letter  or  otherwise,  with  the  Professors  of  the  Theological 
Seminary  at  Princeton,  in  order  to  give  and  receive  such 
information,  concerning  the  Act  and  Testimony,  as  may 
at  once  disabuse  us  of  the  odium  thrown  upon  us  and  the 
other  signers  of  that  instrument,  in  a  publication  which  it 
is  said  emanated  from  that  Seminary,  and  also  may  operate 
in  uniting  their  sentiments  and  ours,  so  as  to  produce,  if 
possible,  a  concert  of  action." 

Dr.  Junkin,  Mr.  Gray,  and  Mr.  Campbell  were  ap- 
pointed this  committee. 

In  pursuance  of  this  appointment,  a  letter,  dated  Feb. 
28th,  1835,  was  addressed  by  this  committee  to  the  Rev. 


262  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

Drs.  Alexander,  Miller,  and  Hodge.  It  was  a  long  letter, 
couched  in  very  deferential  terms,  and  characterized  by  a 
fraternal  spirit.  Neither  of  the  brethren  composing  the 
committee  had  suggested  the  measure,  for,  in  the  first  sen- 
tence of  the  letter,  they  say,  "  Dear  brethren,  without  any 
original  movement  of  our  own  upon  the  subject,  we  were 
appointed,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Newton,  and  directed  to 
correspond  with  you,  and  endeavor  to  remove  a  miscon- 
ception, which  is  likely  to  prevent  that  harmonious  action 
which  our  common  principles  seemed  to  guarantee  and  re- 
quire. Having  been  early,  and  warm,  and  constant  friends 
of  that  measure,  we  feel  distressed  that  a  very  slight  mis- 
understanding of  the  'Act  and  Testimony'  should  not  only 
prevent  your  harmonious  and  efficient  co-operation  with 
that  instrument  and  its  friends,  but  has  caused  you  to 
throw  a  preponderating  influence  against  it,  and  thus  to 
aid  in  defeating  a  measure  which  we  had  fondly  hoped 
would  have  wrought  deliverance  in  Israel."  The  letter 
then  proceeds  to  explain  the  designs  of  the  signers,  and  to 
point  out  wherein  Princeton  had  misapprehended  the  true 
meaning  and  object  of  that  paper,  and  of  the  convention 
it  proposed.  It  reminded  them  that  one  of  themselves 
had,  in  1831,  attended  a  conference,  similar  to  that  pro- 
posed in  the  Act  and  Testimony,  and  there  was  nothing 
to  be  dreaded  in  a  consultation  of  wise  and  good  men. 
And  it  met,  with  facts  and  arguments,  the  objections 
against  that  document  which  had  appeared  in  the  Repertory. 
We  allude  to  this  unfortunate  diversity  of  opinion  be- 
tween prominent  men  in  the  Old  School  ranks,  in  regard 
to  the  best  method  of  averting  the  dangers  that  threatened 
the  church,  not  for  the  purpose  of  animadverting  upon  the 
facts,  nor  of  blaming  either  side.  The  facts  are  recorded 
as  part  of  the  history  of  the  period  necessary  to  be  known, 
in  order  to  a  just  estimate  of  the  difficulties  which  the 
friends  of  reform  had  to  encounter.     And  it  would  be  but 


POSITION  OF   THE   MIDDLE   MEN.  263 

just  to  add,  that  the  position  assumed,  for  a  time,  by 
Princeton  and  the  orthodox  middle  men,  can  be  accounted 
for  upon  principles  not  only  entirely  compatible  with  their 
thorough  soundness  and  loyalty  to  the  church,  but  such  as 
might  have  been  expected  to  influence  men  situated  as  they 
were.  Professors  in  Colleges  and  Seminaries,  who  go  rarely 
abroad  among  the  churches,  who  spend  much  time  in  their 
studies,  who  have  little  experience  of  the  sterner  details 
of  pastoral  life,  and  who  are  more  familiar  with  the  theory 
of  government  and  discipline  than  with  its  practical  work- 
ing, can  hardly  be  expected  to  realize,  as  other  ministers 
do,  the  evils  which  errors  in  doctrine  and  discipline  pro- 
duce in  the  congregations.  Besides  this,  their  position  in 
public  institutions,  in  which  all  parties  in  the  church  may 
claim  an  interest,  seems  to  suggest  the  propriety  of  their 
doing  what  they  can,  and  all  they  can,  as  peace-makers. 
Nor  is  it  to  be  expected  that  the  recluse  in  his  study  will 
always  have  the  nerve  that  befits  the  soldier  in  the  field. 
There  was  a  wide  contrast  between  Luther  and  Melanch- 
thon.  Each  was  well  fitted  for  his  mission,  and  in  praising 
the  one  we  do  not  condemn  the  other. 

It  is  also  to  be  considered,  that  it  is  not  to  be  expected 
that  men  can  always  agree  in  judgment,  in  regard  to  the 
measures  that  it  would  be  best  to  use  in  a  great  crisis  like 
that  to  which  the  church  was  brought.  The  orthodox  men, 
who  condemned  the  Act  and  Testimony,  no  doubt  sin- 
cerely thought  it  to  be  a  rash  and  unwise  measure.  If  they 
were  wrong,  it  was  an  error  of  judgment,  for  which  they 
are  not  to  be  blamed.  Some  of  them  no  doubt  sincerely 
distrusted  the  practical  wisdom  and  tact  of  the  Old 
School  leaders  who  were  most  prominent.  A  writer  in  the 
Princeton  Review  expresses  this  distrust  in  pretty  strong 
terms : 

"  We  have  no  doubt  that  sound  Old  School  principles 
would  have  fared  better    in  the  General  Assembly — nay, 


204  LIFE    0F  DR-   GE0RGE    JUNK1N. 

they  would  have  invariably  triumphed — if  they  had  been 
managed  with  even  tolerable  discretion."* 

Now,  this  may  have  been  so  to  some  extent ;  but  when 
it  was  proposed  to  add  the  wisdom  of  the  serpent  to  the 
harmlessness  of  the  dove,  and  to  exercise  "tolerable  dis- 
cretion" in  the  management  of  the  future,  the  censure 
was  perhaps  ill-timed. 

It  seems  to  the  writer  to  be  no  more  than  justice  to  the 
Princeton  Review  to  give,  in  its  own  language,  the  reasons 
assigned  for  making  such  decided  opposition  to  the  "Act 
and  Testimony."  In  the  October  number,  1834,  we  read 
as  follows : 

"The  point  now  before  us  is,  however,  the  true  nature 
of  its  recommendations.  We  say  they  are  extra-constitu- 
tional and  revolutionary,  and  should  be  opposed  by  all 
those  who  do  not  believe  that  the  crisis  demands  the  dis- 
solution of  the  church.  If  such  a  crisis  be  made  out,  or 
assumed,  then  all  the  rest  is  a  mere  question  of  the  ways 
and  means. 

"We  do  not  believe  that  any  such  crisis  exists.  That 
there  has  been  much  disorder  of  various  kinds  within  our 
bounds,  that  there  has  been  a  good  deal  of  erroneous  doc- 
trine preached  and  published,  and  that  many  judicatories 
have  been  criminally  remiss,  in  matters  of  discipline,  we 
do  not  doubt.  These  are  evils,  with  regard  to  which  the 
churches  should  be  instructed  and  warned,  and  every  con- 
stitutional means  employed  for  their  correction.  But  what 
we  maintain  is,  that  there  has  been  no  such  corruption  of 
doctrine  or  remissness  in  discipline  as  to  justify  the  divi- 
sion of  the  church  ;  and  consequently,  all  measures  having 
that  design  and  tendency  are  wrong,  and  ought  to  be 
avoided." 

We  believe  the  writer  of  this,  and  his  associates  of  the 
Review,  lived  to  be  fully  convinced  that  the  crisis  was 
much  more  serious  than  they  at  that  time  thought  it  to  be. 

The  Act  and  Testimony  men  had,  during  the  year  from 


I*rinceton  Review,  1835,  p.  65. 


DEFENDERS   OF   THE  ACT  AND    TESTIMONY.      265 

May,  1834,  to  May,  1835,  to  encounter  a  double  fire, — the 
New  School  full  in  front ;  the  middle  men  enfilading  their 
flanks.  Drs.  Breckenridge,  Engles,  J.  V.  Brown,  Baird, 
J.  L.  Wilson,*  Junkin,  and  others  defended  the  measure 
so  successfully  that  it  gained  strength  throughout  the 
church  every  day.  In  justice  to  this  document  and  its 
friends,  it  ought  to  be  said,  that  it  nowhere  proposes  to 
make  signing  it  a  test  of  orthodoxy.  This  was  an  in- 
ference of  its  opponents,  wholly  unsupported  by  the  text 
of  the  paper,  or  by  anything  in  the  history  of  its  origin 
or  promulgation.  Its  signers  simply  claimed  the  right  to 
testify  against  specific  errors  in  doctrine  and  order,  to  re- 
commend certain  measures  for  effecting  reform,  and  to  ask 
all  their  brethren,  who  were  willing,  to  co-operate  with  them 
in  these  measures.  And  if,  in  the  progress  of  the  struggle 
that  ensued,  some  of  its  friends  used  it,  to  any  extent,  as  a 
test,  it  was  not  until  after  both  it  and  they  had  been 
severely  assailed.     This  is  history. 

The  efforts  of  the  friends  of  reform  were  not  confined  to 
newspaper  articles.  They  defended  the  Act  and  Testi- 
mony and  the  Convention,  and  other  reform  measures  pro- 
posed, with  vigorous'  pens ;  but  they  made  more  private 
efforts  also  to  conciliate  the  orthodox  who  opposed  these 
measures,  by  letters  and  by  personal  interviews.  It  is  now 
known  that,  whilst  he  was  prudently  reticent,  Dr.  Archi- 
bald Alexander  was  by  this  time  convinced  that  great 
dangers    threatened    the    church,   and    that    extraordinary 

*  Dr.  Wilson,  of  Cincinnati,  published  a  pamphlet  reply  to  the  Articles 
of  the  Princeton  Review,  with  the  title  "  The  Moderates  and  the  Ultra 
Partisans,"— this  title  having  been  suggested  by  a  remark  in  the  Review. 
In  this  pamphlet  was  the  pertinent  inquiry,  "  Why  have  not  the  Moderates 
done  their  duty,  and  showed  the  Old  School  how  this  thing  can  be  done  ? 
Why  have  they  not  brought  up  fairly  before  the  Assembly  some  of  the 
'  few  dozen'  heretics  of  their  acquaintance  unconnected  with  '  peculiar,  per- 
sonal, local,  or  exciting  circumstances,'  so  that  the  Assembly  might  have 
given  one  '  calm  and  dispassionate'  decision?'' 

23 


266  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

measures  for  averting  them  were  needed.  As  early  as 
1831  he  wrote  to  a  former  pupil:  "My  mind  is  full 
of  gloomy  apprehensions  respecting  the  affairs  of  our 
church,  since  the  meeting  of  the  last  General  Assembly. 
I  cannot  foresee  whither  we  shall  be  driven.  I  had  never 
suspected  that  the  new  men  and  the  new  measures  would 
so  soon  prevail  in  the  supreme  judicatory  of  our  church  .  .  . 
The  burden  and  heat  of  the  day  will  soon  come  upon  the 
young  men,  who  will  have  great  need  to  be  strong,  to  pre- 
serve the  ark  of  the  Lord  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
Philistines.  Quit  yourselves  like  men."*  In  a  letter  to 
Dr.  Plumer,  he  writes:  "  Stand  up  bravely  for  the  religion 
of  your  fathers,  which  is  also  ours  by  deliberate  choice  as 
well  as  inheritance."  After  the  Assembly  of  1834,  he  says  : 
"If  it  is  now  found  that  our  differences  are  so  wide  that 
we  cannot  live  in  peace,  let  us  peaceably  agree  to  sepa- 
rate into  two  distinct  denominations."  {lb.)  The  Doctor 
never  signed  the  Act  and  Testimony ;  but  it  is  not  known 
that  by  any  public  act  or  expression  he  opposed  or  dis- 
approved it.  His  surroundings  were  such  that  he  forbore 
to  do  anything  that  might  wound  the  sensibilities  of  his 
colleagues. 

*  Life  of  Dr.  Alexander,  p.  475. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 


Pittsburg  Convention — Mr.  Gillett's  Account — Observed  a  Day  of  Fasting 
and  Prayer — Organization — Business  Committee — Committee  to  Draught 
a  Memorial,  Dr.  Junkin  Chairman — Memorial  reported — Its  Adoption 
and  Contents — "  Cameronian  Eloquence"  misrepresented — Assembly  of 
1835 — Old  School  in  the  Majority — Dr.  Phillips  Moderator — Memorial 
presented,  referred,  reported,  referred  to  a  Special  Committee — Its  Chief 
Points  adopted  by  the  Assembly — Synod  of  Delaware  dissolved — Mr. 
Barnes'  Notes  on  Romans. 


"  r  I  "'HE  Act  and  Testimony  Convention,"  says  Mr. 
_L  Gillett  in  his  History,  "  met,  according  to  appoint- 
ment, at  Pittsburg,  previous  to  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly, 
in  May,  1835.  Forty-one  Presbyteries  and  thirteen  mi- 
norities of  Presbyteries  were  represented.  By  this  body  a 
list  of  grievances  was  drawn  up,  to  be  presented  to  the 
Assembly,  with  an  earnest  demand  for  redress.  These 
grievances  were  for  the  most  part  familiar, — the  points 
presented  by  the  Philadelphia  Presbytery  to  the  Assembly 
and  re-echoed  in  the  memorial.  The  closing  paragraphs 
were  in  a  style  of  petition  not  often  employed  in  address- 
ing a  deliberative  assembly.  They  were  rather  in  the  tone 
of  Cameronian  eloquence. 

"'We  pledge  ourselves,'  say  the  memorialists,  'in  the 
face  of  high  heaven,  that  the  real  Presbyterian  Church  will 
not  shrink  from  the  conflict;  and  though  our  earthen 
pitchers  maybe  broken,  our  lights  shall  shine,  and  "the 
sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon"  shall  turn  the  eye  of  a 
gazing  world  to  that  point  of  the  field  where  victory  perches 
on  the  Banner  of  Truth.' 

"  The  Assembly,  thanks  to  the  alarm  of  the  Memorialists, 
contained  a  majority  who  sympathized  with  them.  The 
grievances  were  taken  up,  and  the  action  of  the  Assembly 

(267) 


268  LIFE    OF  DR.  GEORGE    JUNK' IN. 

substantially  reversed  the  proceedings  of  the  Assembly  of 
the  preceding  year."* 

Thus  curtly  does  the  N.  S.  historian  dispose  of  this  Con- 
vention. Perhaps  a  little  "  Cameronian  eloquence"  was 
needed  to  stir  the  hearts  of  Presbyterians  in  a  somewhat 
latitudinarian  age.  And  as  the  subject  of  this  memoir 
was  the  author  of  the  memorial  at  which  the  historian 
thus  sneers,  it  seems  necessary  to  give  a  more  extended 
account  of  the  paper,  and  of  the  Convention  that  adopted  it. 

The  Convention  met  in  Pittsburg,  May  14th,  1835,  in 
the  Second  Presbyterian  Church.  The  venerable  Dr.  Ash- 
bel  Green  was  chosen  President,  Rev.  J.  Witherspoon, 
Vice-President,  and  the  Rev.  Messrs.  James  Culbertson 
and  A.  G.  Fairchild,  Clerks;  after  organization,  Dr. 
Blythe,  by  appointment,  preached  before  the  Convention. 

Drs.  Blythe,  Magraw,  Montgomery,  and  Phillips,  with 
Elders  Robert  Wray,  M.D.,  James  Lenox,  and  Archibald 
George,  were  appointed  a  Committee  to  prepare  and  re- 
port business.  The  Convention  observed  the  second  day 
of  the  sessions  (May  18th)  as  a  day  of  fasting,  humiliation, 
and  prayer,  in  regard  to  the  state  of  the  church;  and 
the  whole  day  was  thus  devoted.  Dr.  Wilson  preached 
in  the  morning,  and  Dr.  Junkin  at  night. f  Next  day  the 
Rev.  Messrs.  George  Junkin,  John  Witherspoon,  J.  L. 
Wilson,  Stuart,  and  Steel,  and  Elders  Boyd,  Owen,  Mc- 
Pherson,  Ferguson,  and  George,  were  appointed  to  pre- 
pare a  respectful  memorial,  to  be  addressed  to  the  Assem- 
bly, signed  by  the  members  as  individuals,  and  by  such 
other  ministers  and  elders  as  might  choose  to  unite  with 
them.  J 

The  business  committee  presented,  during  the  sessions, 
various  subjects,  which  were  discussed  and  referred  to  the 
committee  on  the  memorial,  sometimes  with  suggestions: 

*  Gillett,  vol.  ii.  p.  491.  f  Brown's  Vindication,  p.  190. 

%  Baird's  Hist.,  p.  433. 


PITTSBURG  MEMORIAL.  269 

so  that  this  committee  shaped  the.  ultimate  action  of  the 
body.  They  made  their  report  on  Tuesday  afternoon,  its 
author  having  had  to  spend  nearly  a  whole  night  in  its  pre- 
paration ;  for  he  was  present  in  the  sessions  of  the  Conven- 
tion, and  took  part  in  its  deliberations.*  It  was  unanimously 
adopted  on  Wednesday  afternoon,  after  full  discussion. 
This  was  only  the  evening  previous  to  the  meeting  of  the 
Assembly,  and  there  was  not  much  time  for  obtaining  sig- 
natures ;  but  it  was  signed  by  seventy-two  ministers  and 
thirty-six  elders. 

This  Memorial  was  couched  in  solemn,  earnest,  and  re- 
spectful terms,  and  in  a  style  of  vigorous  explicitness.  It 
set  forth  eight  grievances  as  matters  of  complaint,  for 
which  redress  was  sought.  1.  The  denial  of  the  right  of 
examining  intrants.  2.  The  denial  of  the  right  of  condemn- 
ing and  bearing  testimony  against  printed  heresy.  3.  The 
erection  of  elective  affinity  church  courts.  4.  The  exist- 
ence and  operation,  within  the  church,  of  Missionary 
Societies,  which  are  under  no  control  of  the  church,  and 
wholly  irresponsible  for  their  doings.  5.  The  education 
of  young  men  for  the  ministry  of  our  church  by  Societies 
not  responsible  to  the  church,  and  not  friendly  to  her  dis- 
tinctive doctrine  and  order.  6.  The  evils  growing  out  of 
the  Plan  of  Union.  7.  The  correspondence,  by  delegates, 
with  Congregational  Associations  of  New  England,  which 
gives  to  them  an  influence  in  the  councils  of  our  church 
which  cannot  be  exerted  by  us  in  theirs.  8.  The  failure  of  the 
General  Assembly,  in  late  years,  to  bear  testimony  against 
errors  admitted  to  exist.  "There  is  nothing  worth  con- 
tending for  but  Truth;  and,  if  we  are  not  greatly  mistaken, 

*  The  original  draught  of  the  memorial  is  still  preserved ;  and  in  a  note 
on  the  manuscript,  signed  by  Dr.  Junkin,  he  says,  "  The  following  was 
written,  except  apart  of  sixth  or  seventh  items,  between  the  hours  of  81 
o'clock,  Monday  night,  May  18th,  and  3  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
19th, — six  hours  and  a  hnlf, — in  my  cousin's  house,  in  Alleghany." 


27o  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

great  and  fearful  inroads  have  been  made  on  the  doctrinal 
standards  of  our  church,  and  that,  too,  not  in  matters  of 
minor  consequence,  but  in  the  very  fundamental  principles 
of  the  Gospel.  One  alarming  feature  of  the  errors,  against 
which  we  would  earnestly  entreat  this  General  Assembly  to 
lift  up  a  strong  testimony,  we  beg  leave  to  present.  It  is 
their  systematic  arrangement.  Did  a  solitary  individual, 
here  and  there,  in  cases  few  and  far  between,  hold  to  a 
single  insulated  position  that  is  false,  and  maintain  it  even 
with  pertinacity,  it  would  not  afford  ground  of  serious 
alarm.  But  the  case  is  far  otherwise.  The  errors  abroad 
in  the  church  are  fundamental,  vital,  and  systematic.  The 
maintenance  of  one  involves  the  whole,  and  must  lead  a 
logical  mind  to  embrace  the  system.  Now,  the  system 
appears  to  your  memorialists  to  lead  directly  towards  Socin- 
ianism.  This  language  may  seem  harsh  and  severe.  Alas ! 
dear  brethren,  it  is  the  harshness  of  love,  and  the  severity 
of  truth.  It  is  not  pleasant  for  us  to  entertain  such  an 
opinion ;  but  the  evidence  rushes  upon  us  from  the  pulpit 

and  the  press,  and  we  cannot  resist  the  conviction 

Another  alarming  feature  is  the  boldness  with  which  the 
very  existence  of  these  errors  is  denied.  To  this  General 
Assembly  it  would  not  be  information,  were  we  to  state 
that  the  same  system  of  error  has  been  characterized  by 
the  same  wily  policy  in  every  age  of  its  appearance  in  the 
church, — first  to  deny  its  own  existence,  and  when  that 
was  no  longer  practicable,  to  assume  a  mask,  and  clothe 
itself  with  zeal  as  a  cloak.  This  strong  feature  of  the 
modern,  singularly  identifies  it  with  the  ancient  heresy." 

A  list  of  errors,  corresponding  with  those  enumerated 
in  the  Act  and  Testimony,  is  then  given ;  and  the  docu- 
ment proceeds  with  the  following  appeal : 

"Now,  reverend  Fathers  and  Brethren,  we  humbly  con- 
ceive that  this  is  another  gospel ;  entirely  and  essentially 
different  from  that  laid  down  in  the  Bible  and  our  Confes- 


MEMORIAL    TO    THE    CONVENTION. 


271 


sion  of  Faith.  And  we  do  most  solemnly  and  sorrowfully 
believe  that,  unless  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  raise  up  a  stand- 
ard against  it,  it  will  be  followed  in  our  church,  as  it  has 
been  elsewhere,  by  the  entire  system  of  Pelagian  ism,  and 
ultimately  of  Socinianism.  If  the  Atonement  is  not  essen- 
tially vicarious  and  penal,  why  demand  a  Divine  Redeemer? 
If  an  exhibition  is  all  that  is  required,  why  not  hold  up 
Stephen,  or  Peter,  or  Paul,  or  John  Huss,  or  John  Rogers? 
This  tendency  towards  Socinianism,  we  think,  is  plainly 
manifested  in  the  denial  of  the  eternal  filiation  of  the  Son 
of  God.  Again,  if  the  Spirit's  work  is  merely  a  moral 
suasion,  why  a  Divine  and  Almighty  Spirit?  Must  not  the 
mind  which  denies  the  necessity  of  an  omnipotent  influ- 
ence be  strongly  tempted  to  disbelieve  the  existence  of  an 
Omnipotent  Agent? 

"In  pressing  our  petition  for  redress  of  all  the  grievances 
we  have  enumerated,  and  such  others  in  regard  to  measures 
as  the  wisdom  of  this  Assembly  may  select,  we  entreat  you 
to  turn  your  eyes  upon  the  aspect  of  the  world.  Lo  !  what 
an  inviting  field  for  benevolent  enterprise  !  And  is  there 
a  body  of  believers  in  the  whole  church  militant  invested 
with  so  many  of  the  qualifications  to  enter  it,  and  gather 
the  rich  harvest  of  glory  to  our  Divine  Redeemer,  as  the 
Presbyterian  Church?  The  position  of  our  country  points 
us  out,  the  position  of  our  church  points  us  out,  the  posi- 
tion of  the  world  points  us  out ;  the  voice  of  unborn  and 
unsanctified  millions  calls  us  to  the  conflict ;  the  Lord 
of  Hosts  Himself  has  gone  down  into  the  plain  before  us, 
and  chides  our  long  delay.  Now,  we  ask,  brethren,  what 
causes  this  delay  ?  Why,  when  the  armies  of  the  living 
God  begin  to  consolidate,  and  Himself  gives  the  watch- 
word— Truth  and  Victory, — oh!  why  this  delay?  Ah! 
there  is  division  in  the  camp  !  'There  be  some  that  trou- 
ble us.'  Innovation  distracts  our  counsels,  alienates  our 
affections,  turns  the  sword  of  brother  in  upon  brother ;  and 
the  Master's  work  remains  undone. 

"Do  you  ask,  How  shall  the  evil  be  remedied?  We 
reply,  Let  this  Assembly  come  up  to  the  work  of  reform. 
Let  them  establish  the  ancient  landmarks  of  truth ;  let 
them  unfurl  the  banner  of  the  constitution.  Let  all 
who  cannot  fight  under  this,  grasp  the  standard  that  suits 
their    own   views ;     put    on    their   own    approved    armor  ; 


272  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

descend   into  the  plain,  and  stand  or  fall  to   their  own 
Master." 

Then  follows  the  passage  characterized  by  Mr.  Gillett  as 
"Cameronian  eloquence";  and  it  will  not  increase  the 
confidence  of  the  public  in  the  fairness  of  that  historian  to 
call  attention  to  the  fact,  that  he  quotes  it  so  out  of  its  con- 
nection, as  to  leave  the  impression  upon  his  readers  that  the 
words  "We  pledge  ourselves,  in  the  face  of  high  heaven, 
that  the  real  Presbyterian  Church  will  not  shrink  from  the 
conflict,"  etc.,  relates  to  the  ecclesiastical  conflict  then  in 
progress ;  whereas,  it  relates,  as  every  reader  can  see  for 
himself,  to  the  missionary  conflict  with  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness which  the  church  is  waging,  and  which  was  the  theme 
of  the  immediate  preceding  context. 

The  Memorial  then  concludes : 

"Venerable  Fathers  and  Brethren,  we  are  done.  With 
you,  and  God,  and  Christ,  and  his  Spirit,  we  leave  our 
cause.  That  He  may  direct  all  your  counsels  in  this  behalf 
to  His  own  glory  and  the  Church's  good,  is  the  sincere 
prayer  of  your  humble  memorialists." 

Each  of  the  points  of  grievance  mentioned  in  this  docu- 
ment was  set  forth  with  an  array  of  facts,  and  compact  and 
forceful  argument,  so  that  the  very  reading  of  the  paper  in 
the  Assembly  brought  lucidly  before  that  body  just  what 
its  signers  desired.  The  document  itself  is  recorded  in 
substance  both  in  the  Minutes  of  the  Assembly  and  in 
Baird's  Digest. 

The  General  Assembly  of  1835  met  the  next  day  after 
the  Convention  had  concluded  its  labors.  The  Presby- 
teries, it  appeared,  had  been  aroused  to  the  dangers  that 
beset  the  church,  and  to  action  adapted  to  avert  them.  A 
majority  of  Old  School  men  controlled  its  decisions.  The 
Rev.  W.  W.  Phillips,  D.D.,  of  New  York,  a  signer  of  the 
Act  and  Testimony,  was  elected  Moderator,  by  a  majority 
of  thirty-four,  over  the  Rev.  Mr.  Leach,  of  Virginia,  proof 


GENERAL   ASSEMBLY  OF    1835.  273 

that  up  to  this  time  Slavery  had  not  entered  in  as  an  element 
in  this  controversy.* 

The  Memorial  was  presented  to  the  Assembly  early  in  its 
sessions,  and  referred  to  the  Committee  of  Bills  and  Over- 
tures. That  committee,  with  little  delay,  reported  it  to  the 
house,  recommending  that  the  several  subjects  which  it 
embraces  be  referred  to  appropriate  committees.    Dr.  Hill, 

*  A  little  episode  in  the  history  of  the  organization  of  this  Assembly  will 
illustrate  Dr.  Junkin's  tact  and  forecast  as  an  ecclesiastical  parliamentarian. 
At  such  a  crisis,  when  it  was  supposed  that  parties  were  possibly  nearly  bal- 
anced, it  was  important  to  each  that  it  should  control  the  organization  of  the 
house,  and  have  the  Moderator  and  the  Committee  of  Elections  of  its  own 
friends.  Dr.  Ely  knew  this,  and  sought  to  give  the  New  School  this  advantage. 
Dr.  Lindsley,  the  Moderator  of  the  last  year,  was  absent,  but  had,  by  letter, 
requested  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  A.  McDowell  to  preside,  and  preach  the  open- 
ing sermon.  He  was  present,  but,  being  unwell,  asked  Dr.  Miller  to  preach, 
intending  himself  to  preside.  After  the  opening  religious  services  were 
over,  and  before  Dr.  McDowell  could  reach  the  chair,  Dr.  Ely  rose  and 
stated  that  he  (as  Stated  Clerk)  was  the  standing  organ  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  during  the  intervals  of  the  General  Assembly ;  and  that  as  Dr.  Be- 
man  was  the  only  previous  Moderator  who  was  present,  and  a  member  of 
the  present  Assembly,  he,  according  to  the  Constitution,  was  entitled  to  pre- 
side. Professing  to  quote  from  the  Form  of  Government,  he  said,  "the  last 
Moderator  present,  being  a  member  of  the  house,"  was  entitled  to  preside. 
He  made  a  motion  that  Dr.  Beman  should  take  the  chair.  This  motion  Dr. 
Ely  put,  and  it  was  carried;  but  one  "No"  being  heard,  and  that  in  the 
clear,  shrill  voice  of  Dr.  Junkin.  He  saw  what  might  be  the  effect  of  per- 
mitting that  adroit  party  leader,  Dr.  Beman,  to  appoint  the  Committee  of 
Elections,  who  were  to  decide  on  doubtful  commissions. 

So  soon  as  Dr.  Beman  took  the  chair  a  recess  was  taken  until  afternoon. 
As  the  members  passed  out,  many  asked  Dr.  Junkin  why  he  voted  "No." 
He  gave  his  reasons;  said  that  Dr.  Ely's  citation  of  the  Constitution  was 
erroneous,  and  that  several  precedents  of  a  contrary  kind  were  on  record. 
Dr.  David  Elliott  proposed  to  get  the  minutes  during  recess,  and  examine. 
It  was  done,  and  found  as  Dr.  Junkin  had  stated. 

After  recess,  a  motion  was  made  to  reconsider  the  vote  calling  Dr.  Be- 
man to  the  chair.  A  warm  discussion  ensued,  in  which  Drs.  Miller,  Blythe, 
Junkin,  and  others  took  one  side,  and  Dr.  Ely,  Judge  Darling,  and  others 
the  other;  and  it  was  carried  to  put  Dr.  McDowell  in  the  chair.  Dr.  Ely's 
words  were  shown  to  be  an  interpolation. — Statement  of  Dr.  Elliott  to  the 
author,  and  jfudge  Ewing,  in  "  The  Presbyterian." 


274  LIFE    OF  DR-   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

of  Va.,  and  Dr.  Wm.  Wisner  resisted  this,  on  the  ground 
that  the  Moderator  was  a  memorialist,  and  might  shape  the 
committees  to  suit  the  petitioners.  The  latter  thought,  that 
while  the  Assembly  was  considering  the  memorial  one  not 
a  memorialist  should  occupy  the  chair,  and  all  that  were 
memorialists  should  withdraw.  It  seemed  to  have  been 
forgotten  that,  when  the  other  party  had  the  majority, 
every  Old  School  measure  was  put  into  the  hands  of  com- 
mittees hostile  to  it.  And  the  idea  of  excluding  from  a 
deliberative  body,  with  judicial  and  administrative  powers, 
all  persons  who  had  expressed  opinions  upon  questions  that 
were  to  come  before  the  body,  was  quite  a  novel  method 
of  securing  fair  play.  The  Memorial,  however,  with  other 
kindred  papers,  was  referred  to  a  committee,  the  chairman 
of  which,  Dr.  Miller,  of  Princeton,  was  far  from  being  a 
signer  of  the  Act  and  Testimony,  or  of  the  Memorial,  and 
of  which  Drs.  Elliott,  Hoge,  and  McElhenny,  with  Elders 
Stone,  Street,  and  Banks,  were  the  other  members. 

After  several  days'  consideration,  this  committee  reported 
a  paper,  in  which,  after  an  introduction  stating  that  they 
had  given  the  subjects  committed  to  them  that  calm,  im- 
partial, and  solemn  consideration  which  their  importance 
demanded,  they  say : 

"In  approaching  these  weighty  subjects,  the  committee 
deemed  it  to  be  an  obvious  duty  to  exclude  from  their  view 
all  those  principles  which  result  from  the  wishes  and  plans 
of  different  parties  in  the  church,  and  to  take  for  their 
guide  simply  the  Word  of  God,  which  we  consider  the  only 
infallible  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  and  those  public  for- 
mularies, by  which  we  have  solemnly  agreed  and  stipulated 
with  each  other  to  be  governed  in  all  our  proceedings.  The 
moment  we  depart  from  these,  we  are  not  only  exposed  to 
all  the  evils  of  discord,  but  also  run  the  risk  of  destroying 
those  bonds  of  union  by  which  we  have  been  so  long  bound 
together  as  an  ecclesiastical  body." 

The  disastrous  results  of  such  a  departure  are  then  set 


REPORT  ON  MEMORJAL.  275 

forth  in  clear  and  solemn  terms,  and  then  they  recommend, 
for  the  adoption  of  the  Assembly,  eight  extended  resolu- 
tions, covering  the  points  upon  which  the  memorialists  had 
asked  them  to  make  deliverances.  These  resolutions 
granted  nearly  all  the  memorialists  sought ;  the  only  ex- 
ception being  in  regard  to  the  Voluntary  Societies,  which 
they  deemed  it  unwise,  at  present,  authoritatively  to  ex- 
clude. The  resolution  on  this  subject,  however,  declared 
it  to  be  "the  first  and  binding  duty  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  to  sustain  her  own  Boards ;  and  that  Voluntary  Asso- 
ciations, operating  within  the  church,  ought  to  feel  bound 
to  neither  educate  nor  send  forth  in  her  churches  men  who 
hold  sentiments  contrary  to  her  Standards." 

This  was  in  their  fifth  resolution.  The  first  asserted  the 
inherent  right  of  a  Presbytery  to  examine  intrants;  the 
second,  the  right  of  any  judicatory  to  take  up,  examine, 
condemn,  and  bear  testimony  against  any  heretical  publica- 
tions ;  the  third  condemned,  as  unconstitutional,  the  erec- 
tion of  judicatories  upon  the  principle  of  elective  affinity, 
i.e.  with  no  geographical  limits;  therefore,  in  the  fourth  it 
was  resolved,  that  "  at  and  after  the  meeting  of  the  Presby- 
tery of  Philadelphia,  in  October  next,  the  Synod  of  Dela- 
ware shall  be  dissolved,  and  the  Presbyteries  composing  it 
shall  then  and  thereafter  be  annexed  to  the  Synod  of  Phila- 
delphia," and  directed  that  Synod  to  take  such  order  in 
regard  to  the  division  of  Presbyteries,  "as  maybe  deemed 
expedient  and  constitutional;"  the  sixth  declared  it  no 
longer  desirable  to  form  churches  on  the  "  Plan  of  Union," 
and  requested  the  General  Association  of  Connecticut  to 
consent  to  the  annulling  of  that  Plan,  from  and  after  the 
next  meeting  of  the  Association  ;  the  seventh  declined  to 
terminate  the  plan  of  correspondence  with  the  Associations 
of  the  Congregational  churches  of  New  England,  since 
delegates  under  it  were  now  divested  of  the  voting  power; 
and  the  eighth  condemned  the  errors  specified  in  the  me- 


276  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

morial,  which  the  Assembly  said  they  feared  were  too  widely 
diffused  through  the  church.* 

The  shape  of  the  resolution  dissolving  the  Synod  of  Dela- 
ware was  modified  in  the  progress  of  the  discussion.  Dr. 
Elliott  had  moved  the  dissolution  of  that  Synod  and  of  the 
Assembly's  Presbytery;  and  it  was  evident  that  the  motion 
was  about  to  pass,  when  Dr.  Ely  brought  in  a  compromise 
proposition,  in  which  the  words  "at  and  after  the  next 
meeting  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia"  were  inserted.  Dr. 
Miller  moved  a  briefer  paper,  but  still  including  these 
words.    Dr.  Ely  accepted  it,  and  it  was  unanimously  passed. 

Thus  ended,  for  the  time,  this  great  struggle.  The  inno- 
vating party  were,  of  course,  much  dissatisfied,  but  by  no 
means  relinquished  hope  of  ultimate  success.  They  forth- 
with set  about  preparing  for  another  General  Assembly, 
and,  as  we  shall  see,  took  advantage  of  the  phraseology 
which  Dr.  Ely  had  suggested,  as  above  mentioned,  to  em- 
barrass the  process  of  discipline. 

Meanwhile  it  became  manifest,  that  the  brethren  who  had 
adopted,  in  whole  or  in  part,  the  New  Theology,  felt  en- 
couraged, by  the  protection  extended  to  it,  to  wax  bolder 
in  its  dissemination.  Early  in  1835,  and  before  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Assembly  of  that  year,  the  Rev.  Albert  Barnes 
published  his  work  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  In  this 
book  he  reproduced,  in  a  form  more  pronounced  than  in 
his  Sermon,  the  same  errors  to  which  a  portion  of  his  Pres- 
bytery had  objected  when  he  first  came  to  Philadelphia. 
This  led  to  a  formal  prosecution  and  trial,  in  which  Dr. 
Junkin  bore  an  important  part,  and  the  history  of  which 
will  occupy  the  next  chapter. 

*  Minutes,  1835,  p.  27. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

History  of  Barnes'  Second  Trial — Dr.  Junkin  prefers  Charges — His 
Animus — Letter  to  Mr.  Barnes— Mr.  B.'s  Reply — Dr.  Steel's  Agency — 
Difficulties  started  by  Presbytery— Apparent  Reluctance — Term  Heresy 
— Refusal  of  Presbytery  to  go  on  with  the  Trial — Reconsideration — The 
Trial — The  Decision — Questions  about  Appeal — Appeal  to  Synod — Dr. 
Boardman  and  Two  Elders. 

"  TN  February,  1835,  I  was  m  Philadelphia  on  business, 
and,  whilst  there,  had  my  attention  called  to  the  new 
work  of  the  Rev.  Albert  Barnes,  on  the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans.  This  arrest  of  attention  was  by  an  unknown 
correspondent  of  the  Presbyterian,  over  the  signature  of 
Veritas,  who  presented  a  number  of  extracts  from  the 
work,  accompanied  by  very  judicious  remarks,  pointing  out 
the  errors  of  the  notes,  and  their  opposition  to  the  stand- 
ards of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  new  book  was  the 
subject  of  frequent  conversation,  and,  among  other  places, 
at  the  table  of  my  friend,  the  Rev.  John  Chambers,  who 
stepped  to  his  study  and  brought  the  book.  I  read  a  few 
pages,  and  was  induced  to  procure  a  copy,  to  examine  at 
my  leisure.  This  examination  resulted  in  the  conviction, 
right  or  wrong,  that,  as  no  other  person  appeared  disposed 
to  do  it,  it  would  be  proper  for  me  to  comply  with  the 
order  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  endeavor  to  procure 
an  ultimate  decision  on  these  controverted  subjects. 

"After  this  determination,  the  next  question  was  as  to 
the  manner ;  and  here,  too,  it  appeared  to  me  the  Assem- 
bly was  correct ;  the  only  proper  way  was  to  bring  charges 
against  the  Author.  Before  I  could  arrive  at  these  conclu- 
sions it  was  early  in  March,  and  it  appeared  exceedingly 
desirable  to  have  the  whole  matter  embraced  within  as 
short  a  space  of  time  as  practicable,  so  as  to  give  occasion 
to   the  least  possible  amount   of  agitation  with  its  evils. 

24  ( 277  ) 


278  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

Hence  the  plan,  proposed  in  my  letter  below,  of  making 
the  case  what,  in  civil  matters,  is  called  an  amicable  suit."* 

The  writer  of  these  pages  was  in  habits  of  almost  daily 
intercourse  with  Dr.  Junkin,  at  that  time,  and  he  knows 
that  the  conviction,  that  it  was  his  duty  to  undertake  this 
unpleasant  and  self-denying  work,  was  the  result  of  much 
prayer,  self-examination,  and  reflection.  It  was  no  rash 
or  ambitious  resolve.  As  the  writer  one  day  entered 
Dr.  J.'s  study,  the  latter  said,  in  a  tone  of  subdued  sad- 
ness, "I  think  it  will  be  my  duty  to  prefer  charges 
against  Mr.  Barnes  ;  the  troubles  of  our  church  will  never 
end  until  the  doctrinal  questions  are  definitely  settled." 
This  was  perhaps  the  first  utterance  to  human  ears  of  a 
purpose  which  he  seemed  reluctantly  to  have  formed.  In 
the  introduction  to  his  book  called  "The  Vindication," 
he  proceeds  to  narrate  the  steps  he  took  in  pursuance  of  his 
determination.  He  wrote  to  the  Rev.  Robert  Steel  to 
ascertain  when  Mr.  Barnes'  Presbytery  was  next  to  meet. 
Mr.  Steel  informed  him  that  their  next  stated  meeting  was 
to  have  been  late  in  April,  but  that  a  special  meeting  was 
called  on  the  20th  of  March,  for  the  purpose  of  changing 
the  time  of  the  stated  meeting  to  an  earlier  date.  And 
Mr.  Steel  advised  him  to  send  forward  his  papers,  to  be 
presented  at  that  meeting,  if  it  should  be  resolved  into  a 
stated  meeting.  Dr.  J.'s  object  was  to  have  the  case  matured 
for  the  next  General  Assembly.  Agreeably  to  this  arrange- 
ment, Dr.  Junkin  wrote  to  Mr.  Barnes  as  follows : 

"  Lafayette  College,  March  i6th,  1835. 

"Reverend  and  dear  Sir, — In  your  Notes  on  the 
Epistle  to  the  Romans,  there  are  doctrines  set  forth,  which, 
in  my  humble  opinion,  are  contrary  to  the  Standards  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  and  to  the  Word  of  God.  It 
also  appears  to  me,  and  has  long  so  appeared,  that  these, 

*  Introduction  to  Dr.  J.'s  Vindication,  p.  iii. 


CHARGES  AGAINST  MR,  BARNES. 


279 


and  certain  affiliated  doctrines,  have  been  the  chief  causes 
of  the  unhappy  distractions  over  which  we  mourn. 

"A  third  opinion,  operating  to  the  production  of  this 
communication,  is,  that  peace  and  union  in  evangelical 
effort  cannot  take  place  so  long  as  these  important  doc- 
trinal points  remain  unsettled ;  and  that,  therefore,  all  the 
friends  of  such  union  and  peace  ought  to  desire  their  final 
adjustment  by  the  proper  judicatories  of  the  church.  It 
is  certainly  true  that  many  have  wished  to  see  them  brought 
up,  fairly  and  legally,  before  the  proper  tribunals,  uncon- 
nected with  questions  of  merely  ecclesiastical  policy,  and 
without  any  admixture  of  personal  or  congregational  feel- 
ings. Regret  has  often  been  expressed  by  many,  and  by 
myself  among  others,  that  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia 
had  not,  at  the  outset,  instituted  process  against  your- 
self, instead  of  the  course  which  they  pursued.  I  am 
sure,  however,  they  did  what  they  thought  for  the  best. 
It  is  much  easier  to  find  fault,  after  a  measure  has  been 
put  in  operation,  than  to  foresee  its  defects  and  prevent 
them. 

"Now,  dear  Brother,  your  recent  publication  has  re- 
opened the  door,  and,  unworthy  as  I  am,  and  incompetent 
to  the  solemn  duty,  yet  duty  I  feel  it  to  be  to  enter  it,  and, 
by  an  open,  fair,  candid,  and  Christian  prosecution  of  the 
case,  to  bring  out  a  formal  and  legal  decision  of  your 
Presbytery  on  the  points  alluded  to.  I  therefore  intend, 
Deo  volente,  to  prefer  charges  against  you,  founded  solelv 
upon  your  Notes  on  Romans,  and  referring  to  no  other 
evidence  for  their  support  than  what  shall  be  deduced 
from  that  book. 

"  In  prosecuting  these  charges,  I  hope  I  shall  be  enabled 
to  act  with  gravity,  solemnity,  brotherly  affection,  and  all 
the  respect  due  to  a  Court  of  Christ.  The  object  is  Peace 
through  union  in  the  Truth  ;  and  I  hope  the  God  of  truth 
and  peace  will  direct  us  to  a  happy  issue.  Most  conscien- 
tiously do  I  believe  that  you  have  fallen  into  dangerous 
error.  I  feel  that  your  doctrine  shakes  the  foundation  of 
my  personal  hopes  for  eternity.  If  it  be  true,  then  I  can- 
not 'read  my  title  clear  to  mansions  in  the  skies.'  Around 
the  discussion  of  a  subject  so  solemn,  I  cannot  doubt,  the 
Son  of  God  will  throw  a  hallowed  influence  which  will  call 
up  feelings  very  different  from  those  that  too  often  agitate 


280  LIFE    OF  DR.  GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

ecclesiastical  bodies,  where  principles  of  minor  conse- 
quence acquire  exciting  power  from  adventitious  circum- 
stances. 

"May  I  now  ask  of  you  the  favor  to  transmit  to  Mr. 
Henry  McKeen's,  No.  142  Market  Street,  a  note  with  re- 
sponses to  the  following  queries,  viz.:  1.  Will  you  admit 
the  Notes  on  Romans,  bearing  your  name,  to  be  your  own 
production,  and  save  me  the  trouble  of  proving  it?  2. 
Will  you  waive  the  constitutional  right  of  ten  days,  etc. 
(Book,  pp.  396-402),  and  so  let  the  case  come  up  and  pass 
through  the  Presbytery,  with  as  little  delay  as  possible, 
provided  I  furnish  you  with  a  copy  of  the  charges,  at 
least  that  number  of  days  beforehand  ?  To  these  postu- 
lates I  can  see  no  reasonable  objection  on  your  part,  and 
I  presume  there  will  be  none.  A  friend  of  mine  will  re- 
ceive your  reply,  and  dispose  of  it  agreeably  to  arrange- 
ments already  made,  and  will  also  inform  me  of  the  time 
and  place  of  the  Presbytery's  meeting. 

"Your  brother  in  the  Lord, 

"  Geo.  Junkin." 

To  this  letter  was  returned  the  following  answer : 

"  Philadelphia,  March  18th,  1835. 

"  Rev.  Sir, — Your  letter  of  the  16th  inst.  came  to  hand 
to-day.  In  regard  to  the  '  postulates'  which  you  have 
submitted  to  my  attention  in  your  letter,  I  remark  that  the 
Notes  on  the  Romans  are  my  production,  and  that  I  trust 
I  shall  never  so  far  forget  myself  as  to  put  any  one  to  the 
'  trouble  of  proving  it. '  On  those  Notes  I  have  bestowed 
many  an  anxious,  a  prayerful,  and  a  pleasant  hour.  They 
are  the  result  of  much  deliberate  attention  ;  and  of  all  the 
research  which  my  circumstances  and  my  time  permitted. 
I  commenced  and  continued  them  with  the  humble  hope 
of  extending  my  usefulness  beyond  the  immediate  sphere 
of  my  labors  in  the  pulpit ;  nor  have  I  any  reason  to  doubt 
that,  in  this,  I  was  under  the  governance  and  direction  of 
that  sacred  Teacher  by  whom  the  Scriptures  were  inspired. 
If  others  would  make,  a  better  book  on  the  important  Epis- 
tle in  question,  I  should  heartily  rejoice  in  their  doing  it. 
I  have  never  been  so  vain  as  to  think  that  in  the  exposition 
of  a  book  like  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans — so  intrinsically 


MR.  BARNES'    REPLY.  28l 

difficult,  so  profound,  so  often  the  subject  of  commentary 
and  controversy — my  work  was  infallible  \  or  that  there 
might  not  be  room  for  much  honest  difference  of  opinion 
and  exposition.  Nor  am  I  conscious  of  any  such  stubborn 
attachment  to  my  own  views,  there  expressed,  as  to  be  un- 
willing to  be  convinced  of  their  error  if  they  are  incorrect, 
or  to  retract  them  if  I  am  convinced  of  their  error.  Whether 
the  act  of  charging  a  minister  with  heresy,  of  arraigning 
him  for  a  high  crime,  without  a  friendly  note,  without  a 
Christian  interview,  without  any  attempt  to  convince  of 
erroneous  interpretation,  be  the  Scripture  mode,  or  most 
likely  to  secure  the  desired  end,  belongs  to  others,  not  to 
me,  to  determine.  I  would  just  say  that  I  have  not  so 
learned  Matthew  xviii.  15-17.  I  have  no  reason  to  dread 
a  trial  or  its  results.  I  mourn  only  that  your  time  and 
mine,  and  that  perhaps  of  some  hundreds  of  others,  should 
be  taken  from  the  direct  work  of  saving  men,  and  wasted 
in  irritating  strifes  and  contentions.  On  others,  however, 
not  on  myself,  will  be  the  responsibility. 

"  In  regard  to  the  'postulate'  in  your  letter,  that  I  '  would 
waive  the  constitutional  right  of  ten  days,'  etc.,  I  have 
only  to  say  that  if  any  man  feel  it  his  duty  to  arraign  me 
before  my  Presbytery,  I  presume  it  would  be  best  in  the 
end,  and  most  satisfactory  to  all  parties  concerned,  that  the 
principles  and  rules  of  the  Book  of  Discipline  be  formally 
adhered  to,  and  that  it  is  not  my  purpose  to  make  any 
further  concessions. 

"As  I  have  no  acquaintance  with  the  gentleman  whom 
you  refer  to  in  Market  Street ;  as  he  has  given  me  no  occa- 
sion to  address  a  letter  to  him ;  and  as  it  is  evidently  not 
necessary  that  our  correspondence  on  the  subject  should  be 
conducted,  like  that  of  duellists,  through  the  intervention 
of  '  a  friend,'  I  thought  it  best  not  to  address  him,  unless 
he  shall  make  it  proper,  but  to  answer  yourself  without 
delay.  I  am  yours,  etc. 

"Albert  Barnes. 

"Rev.  G.  Junkin,  D.D." 

On  the  1 8th  of  March,  Dr.  Junkin  forwarded,  through 
Rev.  Mr.  Steel,  to  the  Presbytery,  the  following  letter : 

24* 


282  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

"To  the  Rev.  Moderator  and  Second  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia. 

"  Brethren, — To  you  belongs  the  solemn  and  responsi- 
ble duty  'of  condemning  erroneous  opinions,  which  injure 
the  purity  and  peace  of  the  church,  of  removing  and  judg- 
ing ministers,  of  watching  over  the  personal  and  profes- 
sional conduct  of  all  your  members.' 

"Now,  one  of  your  members  has,  as  appears  to  me, 
published,  in  a  recent  work,  certain  erroneous  opinions,  of 
a  dangerous  tendency  to  the  peace  and  purity  of  the  church, 
and  to  the  souls  of  its  members.  In  that  publication  he 
has  observed,  '  He  who  holds  an  opinion  on  the  subject  of 
religion  will  not  be  ashamed  to  avow  it.'  As,  therefore, 
he  appears  willing  to  let  his  opinions  be  known,  and  to 
abide  their  consequences,  and  as  to  me  they  appear  dan- 
gerous, (in  the  absence  of  a  more  suitable  advocate  of  the 
opposite  truths)  I  ask  of  your  reverend  body  the  privilege 
of  preferring  charges  against  the  Rev.  Albert  Barnes. 

"As  I  have  stated  in  a  letter  to  that  brother,  'the  object 
is  Peace,  through  union  in  the  truth,'  etc."  [Here  he 
quotes  from  his  letter  to  Mr.  Barnes,  above  cited,  and  then 
proceeds:]  " Hence  this  measure.  It  is  designed  to  secure 
a  legal  decision,  and  put  an  end  to  distractions  consequent 
upon  present  fluctuations.  I  do,  therefore,  pray  and  be- 
seech the  Presbytery  to  take  order  in  the  premises,  and  to 
facilitate  the  issue  with  the  least  possible  delay.  I  have  no 
witnesses  to  cite  but  Brother  Barnes  himself;  and  shall  be 
confined  to  his  testimony  contained  in  his  Notes  on  Ro- 
mans. These  are  referred  to  in  part  in  connection  with 
the  charges,  and  other  portions  will  be  read  on  the  trial  for 
further  proof  and  illustration. 

"  Your  brother  in  the  Lord, 

"  Geo.  Junkin." 

We  have  shown,  in  chapter  xxiii.,  that  the  ■  General 
Assembly  of  1834,  under  the  lead,  in  part,  of  the  very 
men  who  were  most  prominent  and  influential  in  this  Second 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  had  declared  that  it  was  im- 
proper to  take  up,  try,  and  condemn  printed  publications; 
and  that  "the  fair  mode  of  procedure  is,  if  the  author  be 


PRESENTATION  OF   THE    CHARGES.  283 

alive,  and  known  to  be  of  our  communion,  to  institute 
process  against  him,  and  give  him  a  fair  and  constitutional 
trial."  But  when  it  was  proposed  to  these  brethren  to  carry 
out  this  "mode  of  procedure,"  they  betrayed  a  strong  re- 
luctance to  do  it.  Both  on  the  part  of  the  Presbytery  and 
of  the  accused,  needless  delay  and  embarrassment  were 
interposed.  Although  Mr.  Barnes'  letter  to  Dr.  Junkin 
(inserted  above)  was  dated  on  Wednesday  the  18th  March, 
it  was  not  mailed  until  Saturday  the  21st,  so  that  it 
could  not  reach  Easton  until  Monday  evening  the  23d, 
< — the  day  the  Presbytery  was  to  meet, — rendering  it 
impossible  for  Dr.  Junkin  to  have  been  informed  of  the 
meeting.  The  pro  re  nata  meeting  was  held  on  the  20th, 
and  the  23d  appointed  as  a  stated  meeting.  In  regard  to 
this  he  asks,  "Why  did  Mr.  Barnes  hold  his  answer  to  me 
from  Wednesday  until  Saturday,  so  that  it  could  not  reach 
me  until  Monday?  Why  not  send  it,  as  I  requested,  to 
142  Market  Street?  Did  he  suspect  that  if  he  should  do 
so,  it  might  enable  Brother  Steel,  or  some  one  else,  to  meet 
the  Presbytery,  and  present  the  charges?  Why  did  the 
Presbytery  on  Friday  change  their  stated  meeting  until 
Monday  ?  Did  they  wish  to  avoid  receiving  the  charges 
of  which  they  had  received  intimation?  These  queries 
are  important,  as  they  seem  to  evidence  a  disposition  to 
shun  a  trial.  'Charity  thinketh  no  evil:'  she,  however, 
'rejoiceth  in  the  truth.'  "* 

On  Monday  the  23d,  the  Second  Presbytery  met,  and 
Mr.  Steel  presented  Dr.  Junkin's  letter  to  the  Presbytery 
above  cited,  and  also  the  charges,  of  which  Mr.  Barnes 
then  took  a  copy.  This  letter  produced  some  sensation, 
and  drew  forth  from  members  some  unkind  and  unjust 
insinuations,- — such  as,  There  was  secret  collusion  ;  there 
must  have  been  a  caucus,  and  the  proposed  Prosecutor  was 

*  Vindication,  p.  vii. 


284  LIFE    0F  DR-   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

but  the  tool  of  that  caucus ;  Dr.  Junkin  could  not  prose- 
cute before  that  Presbytery,  for  he  had  signed  the  Act  and 
Testimony,  which  denied  the  legality  of  the  court ;  Why 
was  he  not  present  in  person  ?  etc.  etc.  Dr.  Steel  assured 
them  "that  the  suspicion  of  a  conspiracy  was  as  groundless 
as  it  was  unkind  ;*  that  when  last  in  the  city,  Dr.  Junkin 
had  not  read  Mr.  Barnes'  book ;  that  the  only  preconcert 
was  the  arrangement  with  him  (Dr.  Steel)  for  the  presenta- 
tion of  the  papers  in  the  necessary  absence  of  Dr.  Junkin  ; 


*  In  noticing  the  commencement  of  the  trial,  The  Presbyterian  of  the 
following  week  explicitly  disavows  for  its  Editor,  and  other  persons  named 
in  connection  with  the  idea  of  a  caucus,  any  knowledge  of  Dr.  Junkin's 
intention,  until  his  letter  was  delivered  to  the  Second  Presbytery.  The 
Editor  spoke  as  follows  : 

"The  (Assembly's)  Second  Presbytery  met  on  Tuesday,  June  30th,  in 
the  First  Church,  to  try  Mr.  Barnes  on  the  charges  preferred  against  him 
by  Dr.  Junkin.  The  result  of  this  trial  may  be  easily  anticipated.  On  this 
subject  we  feel  obliged  to  notice  a  most  unwarrantable  and  incendiary 
movement,  executed  by  one  or  more  of  that  party,  who  have  so  pathetically 
deprecated  '  unhallowed  excitement.'  On  Monday  morning  the  following 
notice  was  placarded  on  the  watch-boxes  in  the  most  public  parts  of  the 
city : 

" '  NOTICE ! 
" '  Dr.  A.  Green,  Dr.  Cuyler,  Mr.  Engles,  and  Mr.  Winchester 
vs. 
"  '  The  Rev.  Albert  Barnes! 
"  '  The  above  case  of  religious  persecution  will  be  tried  in  the  church 
on  Washington  Square,  on  Tuesday  morning,  the  30th  inst.     The  prosecu- 
tion to  be  conducted  by  Dr.  Junkin,  in  behalf  of  the  prosecutors.' 

"  The  design  of  the  above  is  obvious.  It  is  to  intimidate  the  orthodox, 
and  to  influence  public  opinion  against  them.  An  orderly  trial  cannot  be 
conducted,  in  the  very  method  suggested  by  our  opponents,  without  sub- 
jecting prosecutors  to  all  the  consequences  which  might  result  from  an 
appeal  to  the  prejudices  and  passions  of  men  not  immediately  interested. 
As  far  as  the  four  individuals  named  are  concerned,  who  are  thus  placarded 
as  '  prosecutors,'  the  public  should  be  apprised  that  they  were  entirely  igno- 
rant of  Dr.  Junkin's  intention  to  prosecute  Mr.  Barnes  until  it  was  made 
public  by  his  own  letter  to  the  Presbyter)'." 

The  writer  of  this  memoir  is  of  opinion,  that  it  would  be  unjust  to  attribute 
the  above-quoted  placard  to  Mr.  Barnes,  or  any  of  his  more  judicious 
friends.  No  doubt  they  would  have  disapproved  of  it.  It  was  probably 
the  work  of  some  inconsiderate  and  heated  young  man. 


COMPLAINT   TO    THE    GENERAL   ASSEMBLY.      285 

that  the  reason  of  that  absence  is  obvious, — you  had  fixed 
the  time  of  your  meeting  so  that  he  could  not  possibly  know 
of  the  meeting ;  but  let  a  time  be  set  for  the  trial,  and  he 
will  attend,"  etc. 

The  result  was  the  adoption  of  the  following  Resolutions, 
which  the  Stated  Clerk  was  directed  to  send  to  Dr.  Junkin, 
viz.  : 

"Resolved,  That  this  Presbytery  cannot  regard  any  Letter 
from  an  absent  person  as  sufficient  to  constitute  the  com- 
mencement of  a  process  against  a  gospel  minister. 

"Resolved,  That  the  said  letter  be  preserved  on  the  files 
of  this  judicatory." 

In  the  introductory  minute  the  letter  was  described  as 
"a.  letter  received  from  the  Rev.  Robert  Steel,  purporting 
to  have  been  addressed  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Junkin  to  this 
Presbytery."  The  letter  was  in  his  own  handwriting,  and 
signed  with  his  own  signature,  well  known  to  most  of  the 
members.  Instead  of  fixing  a  day  of  meeting  for  this 
business,  as  Mr.  Steel  requested,  the  Presbytery  adjourned 
to  meet  at  the  call  of  the  Moderator.  Thus  they  could  be 
called  together  from  time  to  time,  on  short  notice,  without 
publicity,  so  as  to  transact  their  ordinary  business,  and  yet 
Dr.  Junkin  have  no  knowledge  of  the  time  and  place  of 
meeting. 

Believing  that  he  saw  in  these  facts  evidence  of  a  reluc- 
tance to  enter  upon  a  trial, — indeed,  to  evade  one,  and 
prevent  the  decision  of  the  doctrinal  question, — Dr.  Jun- 
kin determined  to  prevent  the  thwarting  of  his  purpose  by 
taking  up  a  complaint  to  the  General  Assembly,  which 
"brings  the  whole  proceedings"  up  to  the  superior  judica- 
tory. He  accordingly  addressed  to  the  Moderator  of  the 
Presbytery  a  notice  of  complaint,  with  reasons  therefor. 

His  reasons  for  complaint  were, — 1.  That  the  reason  of 
the  Presbytery  for  not  commencing  process  had  no  founda- 
tion in  the  Constitution  of  the  church;  for  the  Book  says 


286  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

that  "charges  must  be  reduced  to  writing"  (p.  401);  2. 
Because  the  Presbytery  had  given  him  no  notice  of  any 
future  meeting,  at  which  he  might  be  personally  present ; 
3.  Because,  although  they  had  retained  and  filed  the 
charges,  they  had  virtually  refused  to  permit  Mr.  Barnes  to 
be  tried  on  them ;  4.  Because  such  refusal  is  a  violation  of 
the  Constitution,  which  makes  it  the  duty  of  the  Presbytery 
"to  condemn  erroneous  opinions"  (p.  359),  and  which 
implies,  that  when  "some  person  or  persons  undertake  to 
make  out  the  charges"  and  "reduce  them  to  writing,"  the 
duty  of  the  Presbytery  is  to  afford  a  fair,  open,  and  candid 
trial;  5.  Because  said  refusal  is  directly  in  opposition  to 
the  order  of  the  last  General  Assembly  (1834,  Min.  p.  26); 
and  6.  Because  the  Presbytery  was  bound  by  the  Book 
(chap.  v.  8)  forthwith  to  cite  the  pastor  (Mr.  Barnes)  and 
myself  to  appear  (which  seems  to  imply  their  absence),  and 
be  heard  at  the  next  meeting. 

Appended  to  this  complaint  was  a  semi-official  note  to 
the  Moderator,  Mr.  Grant,  in  which,  among  other  things, 
Dr.  Junkin  said  : 

"Brother  Grant,  may  I  not  hope  that  the  Presbytery 
will  throw  no  obstacle  in  the  way?  Brother  Barnes  says  : 
'  I  have  no  reason  to  dread  a  trial  or  its  result. '  Now,  my 
dear  Brother,  will  not  the  true  time-saving  expedient  here 
be,  to  come  right  up  to  the  point?  Will  not  putting  off, 
and  standing  upon  doubtful  points  of  order,  be  the  very 
way  to  make  a  protracted  and  a  perplexing  business  of  it  ? 
.  .  .  Should  you  call  a  meeting  about  the  7th  of  April, 
I  will  have  all  the  charges,  and  the  testimony  adduced  in 
their  support,  written  out,  and  lay  a  copy  on  your  table,  so 
that  your  Clerk  will  have  no  trouble  in  writing  it,  and  you 
no  delay.  Brother  Barnes  surely  needs  no  time  to  prepare ; 
the  whole  testimony  is  already  in  his  mind.  He  says,  'On 
these  Notes  I  have  bestowed  many  an  anxious,  a  prayerful, 
and  a  pleasant  hour.'  He  assuredly  has  not  to  labor,  as  I 
have,  in  arriving  at  their  meaning.  He  has  not  his  opinion 
to  form.  He  has  counted  the  cost.  He  believes  the  doc- 
trines he  has  taught  to  be  truth.    If  he  and  the  Presbytery, 


RE  CONS  ID  ERA  TION.  287 

after  the  proposed  examination,  shall  still  be  of  that  opin- 
ion, I  am  sure  they  will  say  so.      I  may  misunderstand  his 

language.     Let  its  true  meaning  appear Should 

a  meeting  be  appointed  for  the  trial,  as  above  requested, 
you  will  let  me  know.  Or  should  it  be  thought  necessary 
to  have  me  present,  before  the  charges  will  be  admitted  to 
lie,  let  me  know.  Only  remember,  our  public  examina- 
tions in  College  are  on  Monday,  Tuesday,  and  Wednesday 
of  next  week.  For  my  presence,  I  must  confess,  I  see  no 
color  of  reason  ;  if  obliged  to  go,  I  shall  y^f/  that  I  am  put 
to  trouble  and  expense  without  necessity  and  without  law ; 
yet  I  will  go  any  time  after  Thursday  next. 

"Now,  may  I  not  hope  that  Mr.  Grant's  influence  will 
go  to  meet  my  sense  of  duty?  Allow  me  to  add. that,  when 
I  began  this  note,  it  was  designed  to  be  private.  It  may 
be  viewed  as  semi-official. 

"  Very  respectfully,  your  brother  in  the  Lord, 

"  Geo.  Junkin." 

The  Presbytery  finally  opened  the  way  for  a  trial,  and  he 
therefore  did  not  prosecute  his  Complaint. 

On  the  30th  of  March  he  received  the  following : 

"  Philadelphia,  March  28,  1835. 

"Dear  Brother, — I  have  been  desired  officially  to  in- 
form you  that  the  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  will 
meet  by  adjournment,  at  the  call  of  the  Moderator,  on 
Thursday,  the  2d  day  of  April,  1835,  at  nine  o'clock  a.m., 
in  the  Lecture-room  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  on 
Washington  Square.  This  being  an  adjourned  meeting, 
Presbytery  is  competent  to  transact  any  business  that  may 
come  before  them. 

"Attest,  Thomas  Eustace,  Stated  Clerk." 

On  the  opposite  page  was  the  following  private  note : 

"  Dear  Brother, — You  will  see  by  the  above  that  your 
wish  has  been  promptly  complied  with.  I  believe  there  is 
no  desire  to  shrink  from  an  investigation  on  the  part  of 
Mr.  Barnes  or  the  Presbytery.     Yours  truly, 

"Thomas  Eustace." 


288  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

It  is  noteworthy,  that  although  Dr.  Junkin  had  told  the 
Moderator  that  he  would  be  engaged  in  the  closing  exer- 
cises of  his  College  Session  up  to  Thursday,  the  2d  of 
April,  and  said  that  any  time  after  Thursday  he  could  at- 
tend if  need  be,  yet  the  Presbytery  was  called  to  meet  at 
nine  o'clock  a.m.  of  that  very  day;  and,  in  order  to  reach 
the  City  in  season,  he  must  needs  travel  the  greater  part  of 
the  preceding  night.  All  these  facts  seemed  to  indicate 
a  disposition  to  avoid  the  trial,  and  would  lead  impartial 
minds  to  infer  that,  but  for  the  notice  of  Complaint,  a 
hearing  would  not  have  been  afforded ;  and  that  in  the 
very  prompt  call  of  the  Presbytery  even,  there  was  an  effort 
to  avoid  an  issue. 

After  completing  his  labors  in  the  College  examinations, 
on  Wednesday,  the  1st  of  April,  Dr.  Junkin  set  out,  and, 
by  travelling  in  the  night  (fifty-six  miles),  reached  Phila- 
delphia about  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  2d,  and 
entered  the  Lecture-Room  at  fifteen  minutes  after  the  hour 
appointed  for  the  meeting  of  the  Presbytery.  At  that 
moment  the  Clerk  was  reading  the  complaint  of  Dr.  J., 
although  the  minutes  of  the  last  meeting  had  not,  as  is 
usual,  been  read.  After  the  reading  was  over,  Dr.  Junkin 
and  some  others  were  invited  to  sit  as  corresponding 
members.  The  Presbytery  attended  to  different  items  of 
business,  at  every  hiatus  in  which  Dr.  J.  looked  for  an 
introduction  of  his  own.  But  no  allusion  was  made  to  it. 
He  waited  till  Afternoon,  yet  no  sign.  Finally,  about  five 
o'clock  p.m.,  he  invited  the  Presbytery's  attention  to  it 
himself.  He  stated  that  as  he  had  tabled  charges,  and  had 
received  official  notice  that  the  Presbytery  was  to  meet 
to-day,  and  as  the  ten  days'  stay  was  up,  he  hoped  the' 
trial  would  now  proceed. 

Dr.  Ely  said  there  had  been  no  authoritative  notice  issued  ; 
if  the  clerk  had  sent  such  a  paper,  it  was  from  not  knowing 
his  duty.     Dr.  J.  then  read  the  letter  of  the  Clerk,  but  was 


THE    TERM  HERESY. 


289 


assured  that  it  was  not  designed  as  a  citation,  as  the  Pres- 
bytery had  no  charges  before  them,  and  was  asked  whether 
he  had  now  any  charges  to  table.  He  replied  that  he  had 
not  now  any  charges  to  table ;  they  were  already  tabled, 
and  had  been  taken  possession  of  by  the  Court,  and  ordered, 
by  a  formal  recorded  Resolution,  "to  be  preserved  on  the 
files  of  the  Judicatory,"  and  it  was  a  strange  procedure 
now  to  ask  him  for  a  paper  that  they  themselves  had  put  on 
file  ten  days  ago. 

It  was  then  resolved  to  ask  Dr.  Junkin  whether  he  now 
preferred  these  charges,  and  designed  to  sustain  them.  He 
replied  that  some  ten  days  since  he  had  presented  them, 
and  had  now  come  prepared  to  prove  their  truth  and 
relevancy. 

Objection  was  made  to  the  charges  at  this  juncture,  sug- 
gested by  Mr.  Duffield,  then  sitting  as  a  corresponding  mem- 
ber, because  the  term  Heresy  was  not  in  them.  But  Dr.  Ely 
made  some  judicious  remarks,  which  seemed  to  satisfy  the 
Court  that  the  charges  were  sufficiently  specific.  Dr.  Jun- 
kin explained  his  reasons  for  the  omission  of  that  term.  He 
said  the  use  of  the  term  heresy  was  apt  to  excite  terrific  appa-^ 
ritions  in  the  minds  of  some.  In  former  times  heretics  had 
been  burned,  and  people  still  associate  the  name  heretic 
with  the  dungeon,  the  rack,  the  gibbet,  and  the  stake.  It 
was  therefore  calculated  to  excite  unjust  odium,  both  against 
an  accused  person  and  his  accuser.  He  said  he  was  re- 
solved from  the  first  to  avoid  all  language  that  was  calcu- 
lated to  excite  improper  feelings.  Besides,  the  word  heresy 
had  no  well-defined  idea  attached  to  it.  It  is  difficult  to 
define  it ;  and  no  two  would,  perhaps,  agree  in  a  definition. 
For  these  and  other  reasons  which  he  gave,  he  had  avoided 
that  odious  and  indefinite  term. 

Presbytery  then  directed  Dr.  Junkin  to  be  admonished 
of  the  consequences  of  failure  to  prove  charges  against 
a  gospel  minister ;  which  was  done  by  the  Moderator.     It 

25 


290  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

was  then  voted  to  put  a  copy  of  the  charges  into  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Barnes.  He  stated  that  he  had,  by  permission  of 
the  Clerk,  taken  a  copy  when  the  paper  was  first  presented 
(March  23).  He  was  then  asked  whether  he  was  ready  for 
trial.  In  reply,  he  made  a  short  address,  in  which  he  pre- 
sented some  difficulties.  1.  That  the  rule  (Matt,  xviii.  15, 
16),  "If  thy  brother  trespass  against  thee,"  etc.,  had  not 
been  complied  with.  2.  He  found  Dr.  Junkin's  name  ap- 
pended to  a  document  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  called 
The  Act  and  Testimony,  and  he  could  not  see  how  he 
could  consistently  prosecute  before  a  court  whose  constitu- 
tional organization  he  therein  calls  in  question.  3.  The 
case  was  one  of  most  fearful  solemnity,  and  ought  not  to 
be  gone  through  with  hastily,  but  with  great  deliberation. 
4.  His  health  had  been  in  such  a  state  as  to  compel  him 
to  omit  some  of  his  ordinary  duties,  and  he  could  not  be 
prepared  in  less  than  ten  days,  nor  even  then.  5.  At  the 
end  of  ten  days  Dr.  Ely  would  be  absent,  as  also  Brothers 
Patterson  and  Grant  and  Dashiel,  and  in  the  absence  of 
these  influential  members  he  would  not  wish  the  trial  to 
proceed.  He  could  see  no  reason  for  haste,  declined  im- 
mediate action,  and  hoped  the  trial  would  be  postponed 
till  June. 

In  reply  to  these  remarks,  the  Prosecutor  said — 1.  That 
the  rule  in  Matt,  xviii.  15,  16,  had  no  reference  to  such  a 
case  as  this  whatever ;  it  relates  to  private  personal  injuries 
only.  Now,  there  was  no  private  personal  offence  between 
the  parties,  no  wounded  feeling,  no  fault ;  it  was  a  public 
concern,  that  could  not  possibly  be  hushed  up  by  private 
explanation.  2.  That  his  signature  to  the  Act  and  Testimony 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  case.  He  was  willing  to  prose- 
cute before  this  court — that  was  a  sufficient  recognition  of 
its  jurisdiction,  but  said  nothing  about  the  regularity  of  its 
organization.  A  foreigner,  who  prosecutes  before  a  Court  of 
the  United  States,  only  concedes  its  jurisdiction,  expressing 


POSTPONEMENT  OF   THE    TRIAL. 


291 


no  opinion  about  its  original  organization.  3.  The  impor- 
tance of  the  matter  was  a  reason  why  there  should  be  no 
unnecessary  delay.  The  object  was,  Peace  through  Union 
in  the  Truth,  and  delay  would  only  keep  the  community 
longer  in  a  state  of  agitation  ;  had  he  not  hoped  the  case 
would  have  been  issued  before  the  General  Assembly,  he 
would  not  have  brought  the  matter  up  at  this  time.  He 
deprecated  a  whole  year  of  paper  war,  which  must  follow 
if  the  case  is  not  now  tried. 

Mr.  Bradford,  Ruling  Elder,  also  argued  strongly  for 
immediate  action,  but  in  vain.  The  trial  was  postponed 
until  the  30th  of  June,  at  nine  o'clock  a.m.* 

It  is  not  just  to  ascribe  to  men  motives  which  they  would 
perhaps  disavow ;  and  the  writer  has  no  disposition  to  do 
so.  All  he  can  do  is  to  state  facts,  and  let  impartial 
readers  put  their  own  construction  upon  them.  It  is  a  fact, 
that,  at  the  time,  other  reasons  for  the  postponement  of 
this  trial  were  very  generally  supposed  to  have  influenced 
the  Presbytery.  One  reason  attributed  at  the  time,  was 
the  unwillingness  to  permit  the  case  to  reach  the  next 
General  Assembly,  which  the  Presbytery  feared  might 
prove  not  to  be  of  the  same  complexion  as  the  last.  An- 
other object  was  to  delay  a  decision  until  the  fate  of  the 
Synod  of  Delaware,  and  of  the  Elective  Affinity  principle, 
could  be  known. 

Mr.  Barnes  having,  in  the  course  of  his  remarks,  read 
from  the  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1824,  p. 
219,  and  assumed  an  observation  there  made  about  the 
definiteness  of  charges  to  be  a  rule,  and  having  intimated 
his  purpose  to  insist  upon  that,  the  Prosecutor  transmitted 
to  him  a  full  series  of  references  to  the  pages  of  his  book, 
that  would  be  quoted  on  the  trial,  and  of  the  parts  of  the 
Standards  violated  by  them.      Thus  the  indictment  con- 

*  Vindication,  pp.  x.-xiv. ;  also  Minutes  of  the  Presbyterv. 


292  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

tained  not  only  the  offences  charged,  but  the  proof  and 
the  law  also.  The  letter  containing  this  list  was  dated 
April  nth. 

Such  is  the  history  of  this  case,  up  to  the  time  the  day 
of  trial  was  fixed,  by  which  it  appears  that  Mr.  Barnes  had 
a  copy  of  the  charges  and  references  to  the  proofs  three 
months  and  eight  days  before  the  trial,  and  that  the  errors 
alleged  against  him  were  pointed  out,  the  law  indicated, 
and  the  proof  presented,  eighty  days  before  trial.  These 
facts  show  the  laborious  pains  taken  by  the  Prosecutor  to 
give  to  Mr.  Barnes  every  opportunity  for  making  good  his 
defence. 

A  short  time  previous  to  the  day  appointed  for  the  trial, 
the  Prosecutor  learned  that  it  was  probable  no  trial  would 
take  place,  and  that,  as  the  General  Assembly  had  pros- 
pectively dissolved  the  Synod  of  Delaware,  and  inaugu- 
rated other  reforms  sought  by  the  signers  of  the  Act  and 
Testimony,  the  objection  to  the  charges  on  account  of  the 
omission  of  the  word  heresy  was  to  be  revived,  and  the 
case  dismissed  on  the  grounds  of  informality.  There  was 
thus  a  likelihood  that  Mr.  Barnes  would  be  placed  in  the 
position  of  one  standing  ready  for  trial,  and  the  Presbytery 
ready  to  try  him,  but,  because  of  the  Prosecutor's  failure  to 
charge  heresy  or  any  specific  crime,  the  case  was  to  be 
estopped.  The  wonder  was  circulated  that  a  man  of  Dr. 
Junkin's  acuteness  of  mind  would  make  such  a  blunder, 
and  it  was  charitably  ascribed  to  inadvertence. 

Of  all  this  the  Prosecutor  was  apprised  before  the  day 
of  trial  came,  and  was  not  surprised  when  the  facts  proved 
the  accuracy  of  this  information.  The  effort  was  made. 
The  details  of  discussion  need  not  be  recorded.  It  will 
be  enough  to  say  that  the  objection  was  again  raised  by 
Mr.  Barnes  and  his  friends,  that  the  charges  lacked  pre- 
ciseness,  that  no  crime  was  charged,  etc.  The  Rev.  James 
Patterson  was  especially  earnest  in  urging  that  it  was  hard 


HESITATION   TO    TRY. 


293 


to  try  a  man  for  nothing, — that  no  specific  charge  of 
heresy  was  made.  But  "  that  if  Brother  Barnes  was  will- 
ing to  go  on  at  such  great  disadvantage,  he  would  throw  no 
obstacle  in  the  way."  This  unfortunate  remark  placed  Mr. 
Barnes  in  the  dilemma  of  either  consenting  to  go  on,  or  of 
refusing  to  be  tried  upon  the  charges  as  presented.  He 
did  neither,  but  said  this  was  a  question  for  his  brethren 
to  decide,  and  he  threw  its  decision  upon  them.  If  they 
deemed  it  fair  and  just  that  he  should  be  tried  without  any 
specific  charge  of  crime  or  heresy,  he  was  ready.  This  was 
understood ;  and  Mr.  Patterson  moved  to  permit  the  Pro- 
secutor to  take  back  his  charges  and  amend  them,  or  the 
Presbytery  would  not  go  on  with  the  trial.  The  motion 
was  passed,  and  Dr.  Junkin  was  asked  to  comply.  This  he 
declined  to  do,  knowing  that  then  it  would  be  a  new  Bill, 
and  Mr.  Barnes  would  be  entitled  to  his  ten  days'  delay 
again.  He,  at  the  same  time,  again  stated  his  objections 
to  using  the  term,  adding  that,  in  his  view,  the  things 
charged  amounted  to  heresy. 

Thus  the  case  was  about  to  be  arrested,  agreeably  to  his 
previous  information.  The  Presbytery  were  proceeding  to 
other  business,  and  Dr.  Junkin  rolled  up  his  papers  to  take 
leave  of  the  court.  Before  going  out,  however,  he  wrote 
upon  a  slip  of  paper  the  query,  "After  charges  are  received, 
admitted  to  lie,  and  a  day  appointed  for  trial,  is  it  com- 
petent for  the  court  to  compel  the  Prosecutor  to  change  his 
Bill  of  charges,  and  to  dismiss  the  case  if  he  refuse?"  He 
handed  this  to  Dr.  Ely;  who  wrote,  "I  think  not,"  and 
handed  it  back.  It  was  passed  to  Mr.  (now  Dr.)  Board- 
man,  who  nodded  assent;  then  to  Mr.  Thomas  Bradford,  an 
elder  and  an  eminent  lawver.  He  also  assented,  and,  after 
a  few  minutes,  arose  and  invited  the  Presbytery  to  consider 
the  position  in  which  they  had  placed  themselves  and  Mr. 
Barnes  by  the  resolution  passed.     Mr.  Bradford  recapitu- 

25* 


294  LIFE    0F  DR-   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

lated  the  facts  :  "  Some  three  months  ago,  Dr.  Junkin 
tabled  these  charges ;  the  churches  know  it ;  the  world 
knows  it.  He  has  come  to  attend  to  the  prosecution  and 
proof  of  the  charges.  He  is  just  about  to  depart,  after  having 
been  refused  an  opportunity  to  substantiate  them.  Has  he 
shrunk  from  the  trial  ?  No  ;  he  desires  to  go  on — yet  there  is 
no  trial.  Why  ?  On  whom  rests  the  blame  of  failure  ?  The 
public  will  ask  this  question.  It  must  be  answered.  Who 
prevented  the  trial?  Not  Dr.  Junkin.  He  stands  ready  to 
prove,  as  he  says,  the  charges  he  has  made.  The  public  will 
think  that  either  the  Presbytery,  or  Brother  Barnes,  or  both, 
arrested  the  trial.  Did  the  latter,  it  will  be  asked,  demand  a 
trial,  and  the  Presbytery  refuse?  Where  does  this  place  the 
Presbytery  ?  Or  why  did  Mr.  Barnes  not  insist  on  a  trial  ? 
Ought  any  man  to  consent  to  lie  under  such  charges  ?  If  I 
were  in  Mr.  Barnes'  place,  I  would  demand  a  trial,  and  if 
there  is  none,  I  would  dread  the  impression  on  the  public 
mind."  Dr.  Ely  presented  the  same  views,  and  the  result 
was  a  reconsideration,  and  a  resolution  to  go  on  with 
the  trial.  Such  are  the  historic  facts ;  no  comment  is 
added. 

After  the  arguments  of  the  parties  had  been  fully  heard, 
and  the  roll  called,  a  Committee  was  appointed  to  prepare 
a  minute,  expressive  of  the  judgment  of  the  Court,  and  a 
recess  taken  till  three  o'clock  p.m.  A  few  minutes  before 
that  hour,  Dr.  Junkin  met  the  Moderator  of  the  Presbytery 
near  the  church,  and  inquired  of  him  to  which  Synod  his 
Appeal  should  be  carried,  or,  in  other  words,  whether  the 
Synod  of  Delaware  would  ever  meet  again.  He  replied 
that  it  never  would,  because  the  time  to  which  it  stood  ad- 
journed was  later  than  that  to  which  the  Synod  of  Phila- 
delphia stood  adjourned,  and  the  Synod  of  Delaware  was 
to  be  dissolved  "at  and  after"  that  date.  Dr.  Junkin  also 
inquired  whether  it  would  not  be  better  to  take  the  Appeal 
directly  to  the  Assembly.     The  Moderator  promptly  said 


ACQUITTAL    OF  MR.  BARNES.  295 

that  it  would  be  better,  and  promised  to  favor  that  view 
of  the  case  in  the  Presbytery. 

In  the  afternoon  session,  Dr.  Junkin  proposed  to  the 
Presbytery  to  take  his  Appeal  direct  to  the  General  As- 
sembly. To  which  Mr.  Barnes  objected,  stating  his  desire 
that  the  business  should  take  the  regular  constitutional 
steps.  Dr.  Junkin  then  asked  to  be  informed  whether  the 
Appeal  would  go  to  the  Synod  of  Delaware — would  that 
body  ever  meet  again?  To  this  inquiry  a  number  of  voices 
responded,  No  !  it  cannot  meet,  it  will  be  dissolved  before 
the  day  to  which  it  stands  adjourned.  "Then,"  said  he, 
"  the  Appeal  must  be  to  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia."  To 
this  there  was  no  official,  formal  assent  by  act  of  the  body ; 
but  a  real,  well-understood,  and  generally  expressed  acqui- 
escence. So  his  Appeal  was  taken  to  the  Synod  of  Phila- 
delphia. 

The  decision  of  the  Presbytery,  as  was  expected  by  all, 
was  in  acquittal  of  Mr.  Barnes.  They  judged  him  "  not  to 
be  guilty  of  teaching  or  holding  any  heresy  or  erroneous 
doctrine,  contrary  to  the  Word  of  God  and  our  Standards." 

The  minute  adopted  assigns  ten  lengthy  reasons  for  this 
judgment ;  in  which  reasons  they  reargue  the  case  for  the 
accused,  and  endeavor  to  reconcile  the  language  he  em- 
ploys in  his  Notes  on  Romans  with  the  Standards  of  the 
church  and  with  their  views  of  the  Scripture. 

After  stating  these  reasons,  the  minute  concludes  as 
follows  : 

"The  Presbytery  therefore  judge,  that  the  charges  have 
not  been  maintained,  and  ought  to  be  dismissed,  and  do 
acquit  Mr.  Barnes  of  having  taught,  in  his  Notes  on  the 
Romans,  any  dangerous  errors  or  heresies,  contrary  to  the 
Word  of  God  and  our  Standards.  And  they  do  moreover 
judge,  that  the  Christian  spirit  manifested  by  the  Prose- 
cutor during  the  progress  of  the  trial,  renders  it  inexpe- 
dient to  inflict  any  censure  on  him ;  and  the  Presbytery 
would  express  the  hope,  that  the  result  of  all  will  be  to 


296  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

promote  the  peace  of  the  church  and  further  the  gospel 
of  Christ."* 

The  sessions  of  the  Presbytery,  during  this  trial,  were 
held  in  the  Lecture-room  of  Mr.  Barnes'  church,  where 
he  usually  met  his  people.  Many  of  them  were  present, 
and  by  unmistakable  signs  expressed  their  sympathy  for 
him,  and  their  disapprobation  of  the  prosecution.  The 
congregation  was  at  that  time  one  of  the  most  influential 
in  the  denomination ;  and  it  is  not  difficult  to  conceive 
that,  in  such  a  place  and  circumstances,  it  required  a  high 
degree  of  moral  courage  to  conduct  this  prosecution  of  an 
admired  and  caressed  Pastor.  It  was  a  sacrifice  of  self,  on 
the  altar  of  truth,  which  compelled  the  admiration  even  of 
those  who  were  opposed  to  the  Prosecutor ;  and  the  Court, 
whilst  it  acquitted  the  accused,  unanimously  bore  testimony 
to  the  Christian  spirit  and  bearing  of  Dr.  Junkin. 

The  minute  of  acquittal,  though  passed  by  a  large  ma- 
jority, was  not  unanimously  passed.  One  minister  in  that 
Presbytery,  and  two  elders,  voted  in  the  negative.  There 
was,  in  that  Presbytery,  a  young  man,  who  had  a  short 
time  before  these  events  succeeded  the  Rev.  Dr.  McAuley 
in  the  pastorate  of  the  Tenth  Presbyterian  Church,  Phila- 
delphia. That  church  had  been  set  off  with  others  into 
the  Second  (Assembly's)  Presbytery,  and  by  this  circum- 
stance, not  by  "Elective  Affinity,"  had  its  young  pastor 
become  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  that  tried  Mr.  Barnes. 
A  scholar  mature  beyond  his  years,  with  a  mind  clear,  dis- 
criminating, dispassionate,  and  honest,  with  a  heart  instinct 
with  the  love  of  truth,  and  a  conscience  that  shrunk  from 
adopting  a  creed  pro  forma,  whilst  its  essential  truths  were 
rejected,  it  could  not  be  expected  that  he  would  consent  to 
any  act  that  he  thought  would  compromise  important  truths 

*  Copy  of  Minute,  attested  by  Thomas  Eustace,  Clerk. 


APPEAL. 


297 


of  the  Gospel.  Nor  did  he.  Whilst  a  judge,  he  listened 
with  dignified  and  absorbed  attention  to  the  pleadings,  and 
sought  to  secure  fairness  to  both  parties ;  he  was  deterred, 
probably  by  his  youth  in  the  ministry,  from  taking  an  active 
part,  until  the  time  came  for  giving  his  opinion  on  the  case. 
Then,  although  alone  among  the  ministerial  members,  he 
sought  to  do  his  duty.  With  that  dignified  manner  and 
calm,  impressive  eloquence  which  have  made  him  one  of 
the  ornaments  of  the  American  pulpit,  he  gave  his  opinion 
in  an  able  argument  of  three  hours,  that  the  Notes  on 
Romans  did  contain  evidence  that  ought  to  sustain  most 
of  the  charges,  and  those  the  most  serious  ones ;  and 
he  voted  accordingly.  Dr.  Junkin  has  often  since  those 
trying  days  expressed  to  the  writer,  how  grateful  he  was 
to  God,  that  Henry  A.  Boardman  was  a  member  of  that 
Court.  That  minister  still  lives,  the  beloved  Pastor  of  the 
same  church  which  he  has  served  for  almost  forty  years. 

Dr.  Boardman  was  joined  in  desiring  a  judgment  dif- 
ferent from  that  which  was  given,  by  two  venerable  and 
eminent  elders  of  the  church,  the  late  Thomas  Bradford 
and  John  Stille,  Esqs. 

It  was  not  expected,  by  either  of  the  parties  to  the  trial, 
that  it  would  be  terminated  in  the  Presbytery.  Indeed, 
the  question  of  appeal  was  mooted  before  the  trial  began ; 
and,  accordingly,  Dr.  Junkin  gave  notice,  within  the  con- 
stitutional period,  of  his  intention  to  appeal  to  the  Synod 
of  Philadelphia  against  the  decision  of  the  Presbytery, 
with  his  reasons  therefor.  The  first  sentences  of  this  Appeal 
will  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  spirit  with  which  Dr. 
Junkin  conducted  this  business.     It  begins  as  follows  : 

"  Lafayette  College,  July  16,  1835. 
"  To  the  Rev.  John  L.  Grant,  Moderator,  and  to  the  Rev- 
erend Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia. 

"Rev.  and  dear  Brother, — You  are  hereby  officially 
informed,  that  I  intend  to  appeal  to  the  Synod  of  Philadel- 


298  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

phia,  at  its  next  meeting,  to  be  held  in  the  borough  of 
York,  on  the  last  Wednesday  of  October  next,  against  your 
recent  decision,  in  the  case  of  the  Rev.  Albert  Barnes. 
This  appeal  is  from  the  'definitive  sentence.'  Its  general 
ground  is  '  a  manifestation  of  prejudice  in  the  case,  and 
mistake,'  and  consequent  'injustice  in  the  decision.' 

"Allow  me,  before  proceeding  to  specify  the  reasons 
which  shut  me  up  to  the  belief  that  the  Court  was  pre- 
judiced, and  did  err  in  judgment,  to  say  that  I  impeach  no 
motives, — I  charge  no  corrupt  prejudice, — no  intentional 
mistake  or  error  upon  any  man.  Men  do  often  err  under 
the  purest  motives,  and  are  often  powerfully  prejudiced, 
whilst  perfectly  unconscious  of  it.  With  this  single  remark 
I  proceed  to  detail  the  reasons  why  I  appeal  on  the  above- 
named  grounds." 

He  then  gave  ten  reasons,  which  are  too  voluminous  to 
transfer  to  these  pages.  The  curious  reader  can  find  them 
in  extenso  in  the  volume  called  the  Vindication,  and  also 
in  the  Appendix  to  the  Minutes  of  the  Synod  of  Philadel- 
phia for  1835,  PP-  43~47-  In  trie  same  place,  pp.  40-43, 
the  decision  of  the  Second  Presbytery  may  be  found.  In 
brief,  they  were: — 1.  Insisting  upon  the  use  of  the  term 
heresy  by  the  Prosecutor — refusing  to  proceed  unless  he 
would  insert  that  term — using  that  term  themselves,  in 
their  speeches — and  trying  to  excite  odium  against  the 
Prosecutor,  by  reference  to  "persecution"  and  "the  in- 
quisitorial toils,"  which  one  of  the  judges  (Rev.  John 
Smith)  said  the  Prosecutor  was  employing.  And  they 
assumed  heresy  as  the  general  charge.  2.  Because  the 
accused  was  not  called  upon  to  plead  to  each  charge  sepa- 
rately, nor  to  plead  at  all  to  the  charge  of  teaching  con- 
trary to  the  Standards.*     3.  Because  the  talents  of  the 


*  Mr.  Barnes'  special  plea  was  as  follows :  "  Until  I  am  apprised  whether 
these  charges  be  of  crime,  heresy,  or  schism,  I  cannot  answer  in  general 
whether  I  am  guilty  or  not  guilty.  That  some  of  the  doctrines  charged 
on  me  I  hold,  and  some  of  them  I  do  not  hold ;  but  that  I  neither  have 
taught,  nor  do  I  teach,  anything,  according  to  my  best  judgment,  contrary 


REASONS  FOR   APPEAL. 


299 


accused,  and  the  respectability  of  his  congregation,  were 
pleaded  by  some  of  the  judges  as  a  reason  why  he  should 
not  be  condemned.  "Never,"  said  one  of  them,  "let 
me  be  found  condemning  a  man  to  whom  God  has  given 
such  mighty  powers  of  mind,  and  a  congregation  so  digni- 
fied and  influential."  4.  Because  the  Presbytery,  in  their 
decision,  endorsed  some  of  Mr.  Barnes'  errors,  and  made 
them  their  own,  and  therefore  were  biased  in  his  favor. 
5.  Because  Mr.  Barnes  admitted  that  on  the  fifth,  sixth, 
and  seventh  charges  he  denied  the  doctrine  of  the  Stand- 
ards, and  it  is  difficult  to  say  whether  the  Presbytery  do  or 
not.  Their  sentence  is  equivocal.  6  and  7.  Because  of 
statements  in  their  reasons  which  the  Appellant  affirms  to 
be  inaccurate.  8.  Because  one  member  of  the  court,  at 
least,  distinctly  rejected  the  Standards  of  the  church  as  a 
rule  of  judgment,  and  his  speech  was  partly  written.  9. 
Because  the  Presbytery  took  Mr.  Barnes'  present  declara- 
tions as  expository  of  the  meaning  of  his  language  adduced 
by  the  Prosecutor  in  proof.  They  had  no  right  to  take  the 
present  views  and  gloss  of  a  party  at  the  bar  as  their  correct 
meaning.  This  gloss  could  not  accompany  the  book  into 
all  our  families.  10.  Because  the  decision  of  the  Pres- 
bytery is  not  in  accordance  with  the  facts  of  the  case  as 
exhibited  in  the  charges,  the  testimony,  and  the  law.  It 
is  not  a  righteous  decision. 

The  history  of  the  trial  of  Mr.  Barnes  has  been  given, 
up  to  the  time  of  the  Appeal  to  the  Synod,  with  some  de- 
gree of  minuteness,  for  two  reasons :  first,  because  it  is  an 
important  part  of  our  ecclesiastical  history,  in  the  field  of 
opinion,  and  of  ecclesiastical  conflict.  It  was  indeed  the 
hinge  upon  which  turned  the  events  of  the  next  third  of  a 


to  the  Word  of  God ;  nor  do  I  deny  any  truths  taught  in  the  Word  of  God, 
as  it  is  alleged  that  I  do  in  the  indictment  now  before  this  Presbytery." 
See  "  Defence,"  and  Report  in  Presbyterian,  July  9,  1835. 


300  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE   JUNKIN. 

century.  And  second,  because  the  subject  of  this  memoir 
was  much  misrepresented  and  maligned  at  the  time,  both  as 
regards  his  motives  and  spirit,  and  as  regards  his  conduct 
of  the  case ;  and  it  is  due  to  an  eminent  man  of  God  that 
the  facts  should  be  recorded  for  his  vindication.  Both 
the  documentary  facts  and  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Barnes 
and  of  the  Presbytery  attest  that,  in  all  this  painful  under- 
taking, Dr.  Junkin  bore  himself  with  the  meekness,  the 
kindness,  the  "  Christian  spirit,"  and  the  calm,  unquailing 
courage  which  become  the  champion  of  the  truth. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

Trial  of  Mr.  Barnes  by  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia — Dissolution  of  Synod 
of  Delaware  —  Its  Presbyteries  refuse  to  submit  their  Records  —  Synod 
demands  the  Records  and  Documents  of  the  Second  Presbytery  in  the 
Barnes  Case — Presbytery  refuse — Synod  censures  them  for  Contumacy 
— Mr.  Barnes  refuses  to  be  tried  without  the  Records  which  his  Presby- 
tery withhold — Copies  of  the  Papers  in  the  Case  presented  and  proved 
by  Oath  of  Witnesses — Synod  proceeds  to  issue  the  Appeal — Pleadings 
— Roll-Call — The  Appeal  of  Dr.  Junkin  sustained — Mr.  Barnes  sus- 
pended— Submits — Appeals  to  the  Assembly — Appeals  to  the  Public  in 
his  "  Defence" — "  Persecution  and  Opposition"  arise  unto  the  Prosecutor 
— His  Vindication. 

WHEN  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  met  at  York,  on 
the  28th  of  October,  1835,  the  roll,  including  the 
eight  Presbyteries  at  that  moment  constituting  the  Synod, 
was  called ;  and  then  the  Moderator,  Dr.  Cuyler,  read  a 
certificate,  signed  by  Dr.  E.  S.  Ely  as  Stated  Clerk  of  the 
General  Assembly,  attesting  that  "at  and  after  the  meeting 
of  this  Synod,  in  October  next,  the  Synod  of  Delaware 
shall  be  dissolved,  and  the  Presbyteries  constituting  the 
same  shall  be  then  and  thereafter  annexed  to  the  Synod  of 
Philadelphia,  and  that  the  latter  Synod  shall  take  such 
order,"  etc.,  reciting  the  directions  of  the  Assembly.  The 
Clerk  then  called  the  roll  of  the  Presbyteries  of  Philadel- 
phia (Second),  Wilmington,  and  Lewes,  and  forty-six  per- 
sons answered  to  their  names,  and  were  enrolled  as  members 
of  Synod,  and  thus  became,  by  their  own  act  and  consent, 
liable  to  its  lawful  authority. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  of  the  sessions,  the 
Judicial  committee  reported  Dr.  Junkin's  Appeal  as  being 
in  order,  and  recommended  that  it  be  taken  up,  and  orderly 

26  (  301  ) 


3o2  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

issued.  The  next  morning  the  Synod  took  up  the  case, 
and  the  Moderator  inquired  for  the  records  and  documents 
of  the  Presbytery  appealed  from.  In  response  to  this,  Dr. 
Ely  read  a  paper,  which,  he  said,  had  been  adopted  by  the 
Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  at  a  meeting,  held  in 
York,  the  preceding  day,  and  since  the  meeting  of  the 
Synod.     It  was  as  follows  : 

"Whereas,  The  General  Assembly  of  our  church  dis- 
solved the  Synod  of  Delaware  at  and  after  the  meeting  of 
the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  which  occurred  yesterday ; 
whereas,  The  said  Assembly  passed  no  order  for  the  trans- 
fer of  the  books,  minutes,  and  unfinished  proceedings  of 
the  Synod  of  Delaware  and  the  Second  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia, then  belonging  to  the  same,  to  any  other  Synod 
or  judicatory  ;  and  whereas,  It  is  utterly  inconsistent  with 
reason  and  the  excellent  Standards  of  our  church  that  any 
Presbytery  should  be  amenable  to  more  than  one  Synod 
at  the  same  time  :   therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  the  Presbytery  will  and  hereby  does 
decline  to  submit  its  books,  records,  and  proceedings,  prior 
to  this  date,  to  the  review  and  control  of  the  Synod  of 
Philadelphia,  until  the  General  Assembly  shall  take  some 
order  upon  this  subject. 

"A  true  extract  from  the  minutes. 

"Geo.  Duffield,  C/erk." 

The  Moderator  of  Synod  then  asked  Dr.  Junkin  whether 
he  was  prepared  to  prosecute  his  Appeal.  Dr.  Junkin 
answered  in  the  affirmative.  Mr.  Barnes  was  also  asked 
if  he  was  prepared,  and  replied  that  he  came  there  fully 
prepared,  and,  so  far  as  he  was  personally  concerned,  was 
ready  for  the  trial. 

It  was  then,  on  motion,  ordered  that  the  Second  Presby- 
tery (Assembly's)  be  directed  to  lay  their  records,  in  the 
case  of  Mr.  Barnes,  on  the  table  of  the  Synod  ;  and  that 
the  Stated  Clerk  of  the  Synod  forthwith  put  this  order  into 
the  hands  of  the  Moderator  and  Clerk  of  that  Presbytery. 

Dr.  Junkin  then  read  a  paper,  which  he  desired  might 


PROCEEDINGS  AT  SYNOD. 


3°3 


go  upon  the  minutes  of  Synod.  In  this  paper  he  stated, 
over  his  own  signature,  what  has  been  recorded  in  the  last 
chapter,  that,  at  the  close  of  the  trial,  he  had  proposed  to 
appeal  directly  to  the  Assembly ;  that  Mr.  Barnes  had 
objected ;  that  he  (Dr.  Junkin)  had  then  inquired  what 
Synod  he  should  appeal  to ;  and  had  been  promptly  told, 
"To  that  of  Philadelphia." 

The  Second  Presbytery  had  leave  to  withdraw  to  con- 
sider the  order  of  the  Synod,  and,  in  the  afternoon,  pre- 
sented a  paper,  signed  by  the  Clerk,  refusing  compliance 
with  the  order.  Dr.  Junkin  presented  a  letter  from  the 
Stated  Clerk  of  that  Presbytery,  which  proved  that  the 
Presbytery  expected  the  Appeal  to  be  tried  before  this 
Synod.     It  is  as  follows  : 

"  Philadelphia,  October  13,  1835. 
"Rev.  George  Junkin,  D.D. 

"Dear  Brother, — In  accordance  with  the  annexed 
resolution  of  the  Presbytery,  I  have  to  request  that  you 
will  cause  to  be  deposited  in  my  hands  the  written  testi- 
mony, on  your  part,  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes, — the  charges 
I  already  have.  As  the  meeting  of  Synod  approaches,  it 
is  desirable  to  furnish  it  forthwith,  that  I  may  be  enabled  to 
send  to  Synod  all  the  documents  in  the  case. 
"With  best  wishes,  etc., 

"Thomas  Eustace. 
'■'■Resolved,  That  the  written  charges  and  testimony  of 
Dr.  Junkin,  and  the  written  defence  of  Mr.  Barnes,  be 
preserved  on  the  files  of  this  Presbytery. 

"Attest,         Thomas  Eustace, 
"Stated  Clerk  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia."* 

A  paper  was  then  presented  to  Synod,  considered  by 
paragraphs,  and  adopted,  in  which  the  foregoing  facts  were 
set  forth  as  proof  of  contumacious  conduct  on  the  part  of 
the  Assembly's  Presbytery,  and  of  a  design  to  deceive  the 
Appellant,  and  prevent  him  from  having  any  appeal  from 

*  Minutes  of  Synod,  pp.  10  to  13. 


304  LIFE    OF  DR.  GEORGE   J  UN  KIN. 

their  decision ;  and  upon  these  facts,  and  by  the  authority 
given  in  chapter  vii.  sec.  iii.  subsection  16,  the  Synod 

"Resolved,  That,  in  the  judgment  of  this  Synod,  the 
conduct  of  the  (Assembly's)  Second  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia, in  all  the  premises,  is  obstinate,  vexatious,  unjust, 
uncandid,  contumacious,  and  grossly  disorderly.  And  in 
view  of  the  facts,  that  the  Presbytery  had  suppressed  the 
records  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes ;  and  the  Synod,  after 
due  effort,  had  failed  to  obtain  the  records  in  the  case ; 
that  the  original  parties  have  declared  their  readiness  for 
trial ;  that  there  is  accessible  an  attested  copy  of  the  sen- 
tence appealed  from,  and  of  the  original  evidence  used  in 
the  trial,  in  the  court  below;  that  the  Appellee's  case  could 
not  therefore  be  prejudiced  by  the  conduct  of  his  Presby- 
tery; and  that  the  cause  of  truth  and  the  glory  of  God 
require  the  case  to  be  issued  ;  the  Synod 

"Resolved,  To  proceed  to  hear  and  dispose  of  the  Appeal 
now  pending." 

A  solemn  prayer  was  then  offered,  and  the  trial  was 
commenced.  The  Appeal  was  read.  A  copy  of  the  origi- 
nal charges  was  presented,  and  proven  by  the  oath  of  Mr. 
Steel,  who,  having  previously  read  them,  had  handed  them 
to  the  Presbytery.  A  letter  from  the  Stated  Clerk  of  the 
Presbytery,  proving  their  reception,  was  read.*  At  this 
juncture  Mr.  Barnes  arose  and  made  some  remarks,  and 
concluded  by  presenting  the  following  paper  : 

"When  I  was  asked  by  the  Moderator  of  the  Synod  this 
morning  whether  I  was  prepared  for  trial,  I  stated  that 
before  and  since  the  trial  before  the  Presbytery,  I  had  made 
all  the  preparation  which  my  time  would  permit,  and  that 
so  far  as  I  am  personally  concerned  I  was  prepared  for  trial. 
I  still  say  that,  in  the  same  sense,  I  am  now  ready.  I  did 
not,  however,  intend  that  I  was  ready  to  submit  to  an  un- 
constitutional trial.  In  the  present  state  of  affairs  I  feel 
bound  to  inform  the  Synod  that  if  an  attested  record  of 

*  Minutes  of  Synod,  pp.  14,  15. 


PROCEEDINGS  AT  SYNOD. 


3°5 


the  proceedings  in  my  case  cannot  be  produced,  I  must  de- 
cline all  further  proceedings  before  the  Synod  in  the  case  ; 
my  Presbytery  having  judged  that  it  is  their  constitutional 
right  to  withhold  the  record.  And  the  trial,  if  it  proceed, 
whatever  might  be  the  issue,  whether  in  my  vindication  or 
condemnation,  must  be  an  unconstitutional  one.  (Book 
of  Dis.,  chap,  iv.)  Such  a  trial  I  hereby  respectfully  de- 
cline. I  feel,  however,  desirous  of  a  constitutional  trial  on 
the  charges  alleged  against  me,  whenever  the  same  can  be 
legally  had,  before  the  proper  tribunal."* 

Such  is  the  documentary  history  of  this  unprecedented 
proceeding.  And  in  order  that  the  reader  may  form  a 
just  estimate  of  the  conduct  of  the  actors  in  it,  another 
fact  or  two  ought  to  be  noted.  When  Dr.  Ely  presented 
the  minute  of  his  Presbytery,  refusing  to  submit  their 
records,  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Breckenridge  asked  him,  "If 
it  was  not  he  that  drafted  the  minute  of  the  Assembly 
in  which  the  words  'at  and  after'  were  employed,  thus 
leading  that  body  to  let  the  Synod  of  Delaware  continue 
for  a  time,  instead  of  instantly  dissolving  it,  as  was  pro- 
posed ?  And  whether  it  was  compatible  with  honor  and 
fair  dealing  for  Dr.  Ely  to  use  that  trap,  of  his  own  con- 
struction, to  bar  a  fair  trial?" 

Dr.  Ely  replied,  "that  he  did  draft  the  minute;  but 
as  the  Assembly  did  not  order  the  Presbytery  to  put  their 
records  into  the  hands  of  this  Synod,  he  was  thankful  a 
slip  had  been  permitted  in  legislation ;  and  thus  '  in  the 
providence  of  God'  the  way  was  opened  for  this  action 
of  his  Presbytery." 

Let  it  be  remembered,  in  connection  with  this,  that,  as 
Mr.  Eustace's  letter  above  proves,  the  Presbytery  had  not 
so  late  as  the  13th  inst. — fifteen  days  before  the  meeting 
of  Synod — thought  of  the  course  now  pursued  ;  and  that  it 
was  resolved  upon  only  after  the  Synod  met ;  and,  in  view 


*  Minutes  of  Synod,  pp.  15,  16. 
26* 


306  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

of  these  facts,  no  mind  can  resist  the  conclusion  that  this 
expedient  was  resorted  to  at  that  late  date  for  the  purpose 
of  avoiding  a  trial. 

It  is  an  old  established  maxim  of  the  law,  that  "  no  party 
can  take  the  benefit  of  his  own  wrong."  Whether  that 
maxim  was  violated,  in  the  conduct  of  the  Assembly's 
Presbytery,  candid  minds  will  judge.  It  ought  to  be 
stated  that  these  things  were  done  at  a  time  when  men 
were  much  excited  with  the  spirit  of  their  respective  par- 
ties. The  public  mind  was  agitated.  Good  men  were 
under  the  influence  of  the  heat  which  a  struggle  for  the 
supremacy  is  apt  to  produce.  Sharp  things  were  said  on 
both  sides ;  and  if  the  one  side  was  conscious  of  an  honest 
purpose  to  vindicate  the  Standards  and  defend  the  truth, 
this  fact  did  not  always  restrain  them  from  those  tones  of 
censure  that  provoke  retort,  and  which  sometimes  tempt 
zealous  partisans  to  resort  to  expedients  which  their  own 
judgment,  in  cooler  times,  would  not  approve.  It  should 
ever  be  remembered,  too,  in  vindication  of  religion,  that 
if  her  votaries  sometimes  betray  a  good  deal  of  human 
frailty,  it  is  the  fault  of  nature,  not  of  grace. 

Although  the  Assembly's  Presbytery  withheld  its  records, 
and  declined  taking  any  part  in  the  trial,  some  of  its  mem- 
bers participated  in  the  incidental  debate,  and  discussions 
sometimes  waxed  warm.  It  is  the  testimony  of  all  parties, 
however,  that  Dr.  Junkin  maintained,  throughout  these 
trying  scenes,  entire  self-possession,  and  calmly  yet  firmly 
did  his  duty  as  Prosecutor  of  his  appeal. 

The  Synod  proceeded  with  the  trial,  which  occupied  five 
days ;  after  which  the  Appeal  of  Dr.  Junkin  was  sustained, 
and  the  decision  of  the  Presbytery  reversed,  by  a  vote  of 
Ayes  142,  Nays  16,  Non  Liquets  17,  and  Excused  1.  A 
committee  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  minute  expressive 
of  the  sense  of  the  Synod  in  this  case.  This  committee 
subsequently  made  a  report,  in  which  they  recited  the  his- 


APPEAL    OF  MR.  BARNES. 


3°7 


tory  of  the  case  as  it  was  issued  before  Synod,  and  pro- 
posed, for  the  adoption  of  the  Synod,  three  resolutions  ; 
the  substance  of  which  was — i.  That  in  view  of  the 
proof,  the  Appeal  be  sustained,  and  the  decision  of  the 
Presbytery  reversed,  as  contrary  to  truth  and  righteousness  ; 
2.  That  some  of  the  errors  charged  and  proved  are  fun- 
damental; 3.  "  That  the  said  Albert  Barnes  be,  and  he 
hereby  is,  suspended  from  the  exercise  of  all  the  functions 
proper  to  the  gospel  ministry,  until  he  shall  retract  the 
errors  hereby  condemned  and  give  satisfactory  evidence 
of  repentance." 

Dr.  John  Breckenridge  moved  as  a  substitute  for  the 
third  resolution,  one  proposing,  at  this  stage,  to  refer  the 
case  to  the  next  General  Assembly,  in  order  to  avoid  even 
the  appearance  of  rashness  or  injustice.  This  was  negatived, 
and  the  whole  paper  was  passed  by  116  to  31. 

Various  opinions  were  expressed  at  the  time,  and  various 
opinions  would  still  be  formed  by  different  persons,  in  re- 
gard to  the  wisdom  and  expediency  of  the  action  of  the 
Synod  in  trying  the  case  under  such  circumstances.  Per- 
haps it  would  have  been  wiser  to  have  referred  the  case, 
under  the  motion  of  Dr.  John  Breckenridge ;  but,  on  ac- 
count of  the  contumacy  of  the  Court  below,  most  of  the 
Old  School  thought  that  the  Synod  did  right  in  not  per- 
mitting discipline  to  fail  in  their  hands. 

Although  Mr.  Barnes  had  not  submitted  to  a  trial  in  the 
Synod,  and,  therefore,  was  not  technically  entitled  to  an 
appeal  (Book  of  Dis.,  chap.  vii.  sec.  iii.,  subsec.  ii.),  yet 
he  gave  notice  of  appeal,  and  carried  his  case  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  Meanwhile  he  submitted  to  the  sentence 
of  the  Synod  ;  and  a  great  deal  of  sympathy  was  excited 
in  his  behalf  by  appeals  to  the  public,  oral  and  written. 
The  press  in  the  interest  of  the  New  Theology  teemed 
with  censures  of  the  Synod,  and  expressions  of  sympathy 
with  the  suspended  minister ;    and  the   accuser,  although 


308  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

acquitted  of  any  evil  motive  or  unchristian  spirit,  both  by 
the  testimony  of  Mr.  Barnes  himself  and  of  his  Presby- 
tery, was  exposed  to  much  odium,  from  those  who  leaned 
towards  laxity  of  doctrine  or  discipline,  or  who  were  hostile 
to  the  truth  as  held  by  our  church. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  trial  before  the  Second  Pres- 
bytery, Dr.  Junkin  was  applied  to,  by  a  Publisher,  for  a 
report  of  his  charges,  proofs,  and  arguments  for  publication. 
Mr.  Barnes  had  consented  to  give  his  side,  and  expressed 
a  wish  (so  the  publisher  said),  that  the  Prosecutor  should 
do  so  likewise.  But  Dr.  Junkin  refused  to  do  so ;  and  as- 
signed as  reasons  for  his  refusal,  that  it  never  was  designed 
that  the  case  should  stop  short  of  the  Assembly — that  nothing 
should  be  done  by  either  party  to  prejudice  the  courts 
above,  by  ex-parte  statements,  and  the  agitation  of  the 
public  mind  by  premature  publications;  and  that  in  order 
to  the  triumph  of  truth  "  the  pivot,  on  which  the  balance 
of  judgment  turns,  must  be  kept  free  from  the  rust  of 
envy,  or  the  rancid,  dust-thickened  oil  of  prejudice. 
This  latter  is  best  effected  by  cleansing,  and  a  drop  of  the 
pure  oil  of  charity."  .  .  .  "We,  the  parties,  stand  at 
the  judicial  bar ;  to  that  we  have  appealed  ;  and  I  con- 
ceive that  we  have  no  right,  during  the  pending  of  our  own 
cause  there,  to  litigate  at  another  bar.  We  can  have  no 
right  to  a  trial  at  two  different  tribunals,  at  the  same  time, 
and  for  the  same  thing." 

Nevertheless,  Mr.  Barnes'  "Defence"  was  published, 
in  a  volume  of  considerable  bulk,  and  widely  disseminated. 
This  fact  Dr.  Junkin  mentions,  in  the  preliminary  note  to 
his  own  argument,  which  he  published  some  months  after 
the  appearance  of  Mr.  Barnes'  book,  in  a  small  volume 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  pages,  called  "The  Vindica- 
tion." The  fact  that  Mr.  Barnes  and  his  friends  had 
gone  before  the  public,  is  adduced  in  justification  of  the 
printing  of  the  history  of  the  case  by  Dr.   Junkin,  along 


"  THE  DEFENCE  ■»   AND   "  7V7.£    VINDICA  T/ON"      309 

with  his  argument.     His  words,  in  the  preliminary  note, 
are : 

"  Why  publish  your  argument  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes  ? 
I  answer,  Because  new  rights  result  from  new  wrongs. 

Mr.  Barnes  has  committed  what  I  suppose  to  be  a 
wrong,  in  refusing  to  appear  before  the  bar  of  his  own 
choice,  and  then  preferring  his  plea  before  a  tribunal  un- 
known to  our  ecclesiastical  constitution  ;  and  out  of  his 
wrong  grows  my  right.  He  has  arraigned  me  at  the  tribu- 
nal of  the  people;  not,  you  will  observe,  of  God's  people 
only,  but  of  the  world  at  large.  His  '  Defence'  is  made 
at  a  bar  where  no  bill  had  been  preferred  against  him,  until 
after  he  there  appeared.  Not  satisfied  with  the  legitimate 
courts  of  Christ's  house,  he  has  actually  spread  before  the 
world,  in  tens  of  thousands  of  copies,  his  entire  written 
argument.  Will  not  the  reader  justify  me,  in  sending  my 
argument  for  the  truth  after  this  'defence,'  though  it  may 
lag  far  behind?  Justice,  wherever  her  throne  be,  is  the 
same  in  her  essential  character  and  indispensable  requisites. 
Whether  in  the  popular  bosom  or  on  the  supreme  bench, 
she  must  have  her  balances  and  her  facts.  In  the  prema- 
ture effort  of  my  brother,  she  has  had  her  scales  thrown, 
indeed,  into  a  very  forbidding  attitude  ;  the  one  pressed  to 
the  ground,  with  its  ponderous  load,  the  other  empty. 
This,  however,  will  soon  be  rectified.  Her  hand  is  even 
now  lowering  to  restore  the  empty  scale  to  its  just  equi- 
poise, and  receive  my  argument.  When  this  is  fairly  done, 
let  her  hand  rise,  and  the  Church  of  God,  yea,  the  world 
itself,  judge  where  abides  eternal  truth  !"* 

But,  although  his  argument  may  have  been  put  into  the 
scale,  and  the  hand  of  Justice  raised,  historic  truth  re- 
quires the  fact  to  be  noted,  that,  so  far  as  the  tribunal  of 
the  great  public  was  concerned,  Dr.  Junkin  stood  before 
it  at  a  great  disadvantage.  Not  only  did  the  "Defence''' 
precede  his  "Vindication"  several  months,  before  that 
tribunal,   but,   on  account  of  the   fact    that  Mr.    Barnes' 

*  Vindication,  p.  3. 


3io  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

wealthy  congregation,  and  other  sympathizers,  furnished 
funds  for  spreading  his  "Defence"  broadcast  over  the 
land,  thousands  read  the  "  Defence"  who  never  saw  the 
"Vindication."  Dr.  Junkin  had  no  wealthy  congregation, 
no  organized  ecclesiastical  influence,  to  sustain  him  in  his 
contest  for  what  he  verily  believed  to  be  God's  truth.  His 
own  funds,  which  were  not  ample,  were  locked  up  in  the 
College  enterprise,  which  he  was  also  sustaining  single- 
handed  ;  and  if  the  Lord  was  not  on  his  side,  the  contest 
was  indeed  unequal.  It  is  true,  no  doubt,  that  he  was  up- 
held by  the  sympathies  and  the  prayers  of  those  who  be- 
lieved him  to  be  sacrificing  in  the  cause  of  truth ;  but  even 
some  of  them  had  not  the  moral  courage  to  face,  with  firm- 
ness, the  cry  of  persecution  and  tide  of  obloquy  which 
were  raised  against  the  man  who,  being  the  "President 
of  a  College"  and  "a  member  of  another  Presbytery," 
would  begin  a  prosecution  against  the  popular  and  cherished 
Pastor  of  so  wealthy  and  influential  a  church.  The 
"  Defence,"  too,  was  of  course  written  from  a  party  stand- 
point, and  at  a  moment  of  extreme  irritation  and  excite- 
ment. It  could  not  be  expected  to  spare  Dr.  Junkin, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  to  place  him  and  his  cause  as 
much  in  the  wrong  as  an  ex-parte  statement  of  the  facts 
could  effect ;  and  it  fell  upon  the  public  ear  at  a  time  when 
not  only  the  New  School  portion  of  the  church,  but  the 
undiscriminating  and  indifferent  masses,  were  under  the 
influence  of  that  sympathy  which  always  gathers  around 
the  condemned.  The  man  who  had  been  suspended  from 
the  ministry  was  in  repute  for  talents,  scholarship,  and 
great  literary  industry.  He  was  amiable,  pious,  and  had 
pulpit  powers  which  were  solid  and  attractive.  The  oppo- 
sition which  he  encountered,  upon  his  first  coming  to 
Philadelphia,  had  not  only  aroused  the  friendly  zeal  of  his 
immediate  congregation,  but  had  drawn  to  him  a  measure 
of  public  attention  which  many  years  in  the  quiet  duties 


POPULAR   SYMPATHY  FOR   MR.  BARNES       311 

of  a  pastorate  might  not  have  won.  His  Notes  on  the 
Gospels  and  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  were,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  passages,  which  indicated,  without  very  ex- 
plicitly stating,  his  peculiar  views  of  theology,  useful  books, 
and  their  sale  and  circulation  were  doubtless  increased 
by  the  very  opposition  which  had  been  made  to  those 
views.  So  that,  both  as  a  Pastor  and  an  Author,  he  was, 
probably,  more  widely  known  than,  in  so  short  a  time,  he 
would  have  become  in  other  circumstances.  There  was 
so  much  of  real  good  mixed  with  what  his  Old  School 
brethren  seriously  deplored  as  evil,  that  the  general  public, 
unaccustomed  to  consider  systems  of  doctrine,  failed  to  see, 
or,  at  least,  to  acknowledge,  anything  but  the  good.  And 
when  such  a  man,  and  in  such  circumstances,  was  sus- 
pended from  the  Gospel  ministry,  his  voice  silenced,  his 
pulpit  left  temporarily  vacant,  and  his  people  bereft  of  the 
services  of  their  Pastor,  the  public  ear  was  startled  by  the 
tidings,  the  public  heart  was  roused,  and  it  was  natural, 
and  to  be  expected,  that  all  of  the  Christian  community, 
who  did  not  receive  the  distinctive  doctrines  of  grace  as  laid 
down  in  the  Presbyterian  standards,  would  throw  their 
sympathies  around  the  silenced  minister.  Of  course  this 
tendency  would  be  also  strong  among  the  people  of  the 
world,  and  the  popular  tide  would  set  against  the  Synod 
which  had  applied  discipline,  and  the  man  who  had  produced 
the  proof  upon  which  it  was  done.  The  publication  of 
Mr.  Barnes'  ex-parte  defence  would  not,  of  course,  as- 
suage this  excited  sea;  and,  whilst  the  Old  School  and 
many  of  the  discerning  minds  in  other  evangelical  churches 
sustained  the  decision  of  the  Synod,  the  popular  tones  that 
seemed  the  loudest,  for  a  time  at  least,  were  those  of  dis- 
approval. 

There  is  a  martyrdom  almost  as  hard  to  endure  as  that 
of  the  stake.  To  a  mind  as  sensitive  and  deep  in  its 
emotional  nature  as  was  Dr.   Junkin's,  yet  not  possessing 


3i2  LIFE    OF  DR.  GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

his  indomitable  loyalty  to  principle,  and  his  strong  faith  in 
God,  the  assaults  made  upon  his  course  would  have  been 
appalling.  It  was  in  vain  Mr.  Barnes  himself  had  closed 
his  defence  with  a  most  explicit  and  emphatic  testimony  to 
the  Christian  spirit  and  the  purity  of  motive  which  he 
believed  had  moved  his  Prosecutor;*  in  vain  the  Second 
Presbytery  had  officially  recorded  the  same  declaration ;  in 
vain  all  impartial  persons,  who  witnessed  the  trials,  ex- 
pressed admiration  of  the  calmness,  the  patience,  the  kind- 
ness, the  solemnity,  as  well  as  the  ability,  with  which  he 
conducted  them,  before  the  Presbytery  and  Synod — he 
was  in  the  attitude  of  a  successful  Prosecutor,  and  must, 
therefore,  be  a  man  to  be  spoken  against.  It  is  due  to 
truth,  and  is  illustrative  of  the  Christian  spirit  of  both  Mr. 
Barnes  and  Dr.  Junkin,  to  add,  that,  so  far  as  known,  there 
never  was  at  any  time  any  feeling  of  personal  unkindness, 
much  less  of  hostility,  between  them. 

Dr.  Junkin  may  have  felt,  doubtless  did  feel  keenly,  all 
this,  but  he  never  betrayed  any  impatience  or  resentment. 
And  when  his  friends  expressed,  as  they  sometimes  did, 
indignation  at  the  misrepresentations  of  his  motives,  spirit, 
and  conduct,  he  would  rarely  say  more  than  to  quote  some 
passage  from  the  Word  of  God,  such  as,  "He  that  be- 
lieveth  shall  not  make  haste,"  or,  "The  lying  tongue  is 
but  for  a  moment." 

The  opposition  of  the  unthinking  world  he  could  pity, 
without  being  discouraged  by  it ;  it  was  to  be  expected. 
The  censure  of  the  avowed  adherents  or  protectors  of  the 
New  Theology,  he  had  anticipated,  and  was  not  surprised, 
nor  much  troubled,  when  it  came.  But  when,  as  was  some- 
times the  case,  he  was  denounced  by  orthodox  men  under 
the  influence  of  a  morbid  spirit  of  compromise,  or  because 
they  had  not  the  nerve  to  withstand  the  popular  outcry,  he 

*  See  page  315. 


OPPOSITION  TO   LAFAYETTE    COLLEGE.       313 

seemed  more  grieved.  No  reader  unacquainted  with  the 
details  of  this  trying  period  of  Dr.  Junkin's  history,  can 
appreciate  the  sacrifices  he  made  for  the  truth's  sake,  nor 
the  amount  of  opposition  he  had  to  endure. 

In  a  few  instances,  ministers,  professing  to  be  sound  in 
the  faith,  took  their  sons  from  Lafayette  College,  and  sent 
them  elsewhere,  because  they  would  not  be  in  any  way 
identified  with  the  Prosecutor  of  Mr.  Barnes.  Direct 
efforts  were  also  made,  sometimes  by  ministers,  sometimes 
by  laymen,  to  dissuade  students  from  coming  to  the  College, 
and  to  induce  those  already  there  to  leave. 

A  case,  which  affected  Dr.  Junkin  more,  perhaps,  than 
any  other,  because  it  was  not  only  a  personal  thrust,  but 
struck  at  his  beloved  College,  may  be  stated  as  succinctly 
as  in  any  other  words,  by  copying  an  article  from  the 
Presbyterian  of  February  5th,  1836,  signed  "A  Member  of 
the  Synod  of  New  Jersey."  We  withhold  the  name  of 
the  eminent  pastor  alluded  to ;  for  whilst  it  is  our  duty, 
as  a  faithful  biographer,  to  record  the  trials  and  sufferings 
of  the  subject  of  our  memoir,  we  do  not  wish  needlessly 
to  put  on  record  the  conduct  of  others  which  we  disap- 
prove, in  connection  with  their  names.  The  best  men 
have  their  weaknesses,  and  one  of  the  most  difficult  things 
to  do,  in  this  land  where  public  opinion  is  so  puissant,  is 
to  withstand  it,  when  it  is  wrong. 

(From  The  Presbyterian.) 

'•Mr.  Editor, — It  was  with  surprise,  and  grief  for  the 
writer,  whose  name  I  have  respected  and  whose  person 
I  still  love,  that  I  read,  in  the  JV.  Y.  Observer,  of  January 
30th,  the  following  paragraph  : 

"  'Messrs.  Editors, — I  have  understood  that  a  recent 
paragraph  in  the  "  Philadelphia.!?'  animadverts  with  some 
severity  upon  me,  for  having  given  my  name  recommend- 
ing the  college  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Junkin.  I 
owe  it  to  myself  to  state,  that  I  did  this  very  soon  after  my 

27 


314  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

return  from  Europe,  and  before  I  had  become  acquainted 
with  the  course  Dr.  Junkin  pursued  in  his  prosecution  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Barnes.  On  reading  the  narrative  of  that 
trial,  as  published  in  the  N.  Y.  Observer,  I  wrote  to  Dr. 
Junkin,  requesting  him  to  erase  my  name  from  the  list  of 
recommendations  to  his  Seminary. 

"  '  Yours,  etc. 


"I  say,  Mr.  Editor,  I  was  surprised  and  grieved,  upon 
reading  a  communication  which,  in  itself,  places  the  writer 
of  it  in  so  unenviable  a  light  before  a  discerning  public. 

Can  it  be  that ,  D.D.,  could  be  induced  to  take 

such  a  step  by  any  animadversions  of  the  Philadelphian .'! 
I,  for  one,  would  not  have  believed  that  that  eminent  min- 
ister of  Christ  could  be  driven  in  any  direction  by  any- 
thing that  could  proceed  from  such  a  source,  had  he  not 
confessed  it  in  the  above  paragraph. 

"But,  with  regard  to  the  statement  itself.  He  says  he 
put  his  name  to  the  recommendation  of  Lafayette  College 
soon  after  his  return  from  Europe,  and  before  he  had  be- 
come acquainted  with  the  course  Dr.  J.  pursued  in  his 
prosecution  of  Mr.  Barnes.     Is  it  not  to  be  regretted  that 

Dr.  should  put  his  name  to  a  paper  characterized  by 

such  frankness  and  distinctness  of  avowal,  as  the  one  in 
question,  without  due  consideration?  Can  he  plead  that 
he  was  ignorant  of  its  contents?  That  he  will  not  do. 
Was  he  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  Dr.  Junkin  was  the  pros- 
ecutor of  Mr.  Barnes?  This  he  does  not  pretend.  He 
therefore  confesses  to  rashness,  and  his  plea  for  withdraw- 
ing his  name  is,  that  he  does  not  approve  of  Dr.  J.'s  course 
in  Mr.  B.'s  prosecution. 

"  Now,  there  are  two  or  three  things  in  this  plea  which  I 
hope  a  candid  public  will  consider :    1.   The  evidence,  upon 

which  Dr.  made  up  his  mind  to  make  this  effort  to 

crush  Dr.  Junkin  and  Lafayette  College,  is,  by  his  own 
confession,  contained  in  the  reports  of  the  trial  of  Mr.  B. 
in  the  Observer,  prior  to  the  date  of  his  card.  Now,  the 
readers  of  the  Observer  know  that,  for  reasons  best  known 
to  its  Editors,  that  paper  has  never  yet  published  a  large 
part,  and  the  most  important  part,  of  the  evidence  in  the 
case,  viz.,  Dr.  Junkin's  proofs  and  pleadings.     These  have 


DEFENCE    OF  DR.  JUNKIN.  3^ 

never  yet  been  published.  And  yet,  upon  this  partial  evi- 
dence, and  before  he  had  heard  the  whole  narrative,  Dr. 

condemns  Dr.   Junkin,  and  lends  the  weight  of  his 

name  to  blast  him  and  the  prospects  of  the  infant  but 
nourishing  institution  over  which  he  presides  ! 

"And  Dr.  does  this  with  Mr.  Barnes'  own  testi- 
mony before  him,  in  which,  at  the  close  of  his  published 
'  Defence,'  he  declares  as  follows:  '  I  have  only  to  add  that 
I  cherish  no  unkind  feelings  towards  my  prosecutor.  I 
charge  upon  him  no  improper  motives.  I  delight  to  add 
my  humble  testimony,  in  accordance  with  the  feelings  of 
all  who  have  heard  the  trial,  to  his  Christian  spirit;  and  I 
rejoice  to  close  by  saying,  that  my  conviction  of  the  piety 
and  Christian  temper  of  my  prosecutor  has  been  aug- 
menting   throughout    the    entire    prosecution.'      Nor  has 

Dr.  read,  in  the  N.  Y.  Observer,  nor  in   any  other 

print,  any  proof  that  a  different  spirit  was  manifested  by 
the  prosecutor  before  the  Synod. 

"  2.  But  besides  judging  from  partial  evidence,  and  con- 
trary to  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Barnes,  Dr.  condemns 

Dr.  Junkin  unheard.  He  gave  him  no  opportunity  of  ex- 
plaining his  course. 

"3.  This  public  censure  upon  Dr.  Junkin's  character 
and  office,  as  the  head  of  a  literary  institute,  was  unpro- 
voked and  uncalled  for.  The  letter  of  recommendation 
was  addressed  to  private  individuals  of  wealth  and  benevo- 
lence. It  was  not  a  public  document.  But  this  renuncia- 
tion and  attack  is  made  public,  and  circulated  throughout 
the  whole  church. 

"4.   This  plea  shows  to  the  whole  church  where  Dr. 

stands.  He,  as  a  Presbyter,  has  prejudged  a  case  pending 
before  the  supreme  court  of  the  whole  church. 

"If  the  public  knew  Dr.  Junkin  as  well  as  does  the 
writer  of  this  communication  ;  if  they  knew  what  sacrifices 
of  personal  comfort  and  property,  what  heart-sinking 
self-denial  and  hardships  he  has  encountered  for  the  sake 
of  advancing  the  cause  of  truth  and  education  ;  if  they 
were  aware  of  the  fact,  too,  that  he  was  at  first  induced  to 
leave  the  retired  and  peaceful  labors  of  the  pastorate,  and 
to  enter  the  arduous  field  in  which  he  is  now  toiling,  by 
the  very  men  who  now  persecute  him,  and  strive  to  thwart 
his  aims  and  tear  away  his  friends,  I  am  persuaded  that 


3i6  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

with    one  voice    the    course  of  the  Philadelphian   would 

be  pronounced  cruel,  and  that  of  Dr. unkind  and 

unjust. 

"A  Member  of  the  Synod  of  New  Jersey." 

In  addition  tt>  the  uncontradicted  testimony  of  Mr. 
Barnes,  given  at  the  close  of  his  "Defence,"  and  that  of 
the  Presbytery  officially  recorded  in  their  judgment,  others 
bore  public  testimony  at  the  time  to  the  Christian  temper 
and  gentlemanly  propriety  with  which  Dr.  Junkin  bore  him- 
self amid  these  exciting  scenes.      Says  The  Presbyterian  : 

"In  reviewing  the  manner  in  which  the  prosecution  was 
conducted,  we  are  constrained  to  express  our  approbation 
of  the  Christian  courtesy  and  unruffled  temper  displayed 
by  Dr.  Junkin ;  we  believe  this  praise  will  be  accorded  to 
him  by  all  parties.  We  pretend  not  to  follow  him  in  his 
argument,  which  was  so  well  sustained  by  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures and  the  formularies  of  the  church,  and  occupied  so 
many  hours.  But  we  hope  he  may  be  induced  to  prepare 
his  notes  for  publication.     On  the  part  of  the  defendant 

the  case  was  conducted  with  ingenuity  and  ability 

We  sincerely  hope  it  will  be  published,  .  .  .  and  we  much 
mistake  if,  in  the  view  of  intelligent  theological  readers, 
it  does  not  confirm,  rather  than  refute,  the  charges." 

The  foregoing  will  sufficiently  illustrate  the  points  which 
the  biographer  desires  to  make  plain:  i.  That  upon  the 
supposition  that  discipline,  for  alleged  departures  from  the 
written  Standards  of  the  church,  is  to  be  maintained  at  all, 
Dr.  Junkin  did,  in  this  case,  nothing  more  than  was  the 
duty  of  a  man  who  had,  at  his  ordination,  solemnly  prom- 
ised "  to  be  zealous  and  faithful 'in  maintaining  the  truths 
of  the  gospel,  and  the.  purity  and  peace  ot  the  church,  what- 
ever persecution  or  opposition  may  arise  unto  you  on  that 
account."     (See  Form  of  Government,  chap,  xv.) 

2.  That  the  "persecution  and  opposition  that  arose  unto 
him,"  especially  so  far  as  it  came  from  his  brethren,  whose 


FRIENDLY  SYMPATHY. 


3X7 


consciences  rested  under  the  same  vow,  was  unreasonable, 
undeserved,  unjust,  and  unkind. 

3.  That  that  "persecution  and  opposition"  had  no  just 
grounds  in  the  manner,  motives,  or  spirit  with  which  he 
conducted  the  Barnes  trial,  but  grew  out  of  the  spirit  of 
party,  or  the  timidity  of  good  men,  who  sometimes  are 
given  up  to  fear  popular  clamor  more  than  they  should. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that,  amid  the  above-mentioned 
trials,  Dr.  Junkin  was  left  alone,  and  uncheered  by  the 
sympathies  of  the  friends  of  truth.  If  names  of  influence 
were  arrayed  against  him  and  his  cause,  those  of  equal 
weight  were  among  his  friends.  Such  men  as  Ashbel 
Green,  Joseph  McElroy,  W.  W.  Phillips,  Robert  J.  Breck- 
enridge,  John  Breckenridge,  John  M.  Krebs,  Wm.  M. 
Engles,  S.  G.  Winchester,  Wm.  L.  McCalla,  David  Elliott, 
Elisha  P.  Swift,  Joshua  L.  Wilson,  James  Hoge,  David 
McKinney,  Wm.  Latta,  and  scores  of  others  distinguished 
among  the  clergy ;  and  James  Lenox,  John  Stille,  Archi- 
bald George,  Ephraim  Banks,  James  Kennedy,  Thos. 
McKeen,  Judge  Ewing,  and  hundreds  more  of  the  Elders, 
proved  themselves  worthy  of  this  trying  crisis  in  their 
church's  history. 

27* 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

Assembly  of  1836 — Its  Characteristics — Old  School  in  the  Majority  at  the 
Start — New  School  afterwards — Large  Body — The  Barnes  Trial — Appel- 
lant attentively  heard — Contrary  Treatment  of  Prosecutor — Incidents — 
Dr.  Junkin's  Pleadings — Difficulties  of  his  Position — His  Reasons  for 
assuming  it — Mr.  Barnes'  Objections  answered — Mr.  Barnes'  Rule  of 
Interpretation — Its  Unsoundness — The  Stranded  Steamboat— Motives — 
Mr.  Barnes'  Appeal  sustained — Causes  of  this  Result — Protests  and 
Answers — Startling  Inconsistencies — Prospects  of  Peace — Why  defeated 
— Dr.  Beecher's  Proposal  and  Assignation — Not  met,  and  why — Breach 
of  Contract  with  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society- — Attempted  Revo- 
lution of  Board  of  Education — Conferences— Dr.  Junkin  returns  to 
Easton. 

THE  General  Assembly  of  1836,  as  the  preceding  one 
had  done,  met  in  the  city  of  Pittsburg.  No  doubt, 
both  parties  in  the  church  had  exerted  themselves  to  secure 
a  majority.  The  orthodox  party,  including  those  who 
adhered  to  the  position  assumed  by  Princeton,  were  in  a 
small  majority  at  the  opening  of  the  Assembly.  The  Rev. 
John  Witherspoon,  D.D.,  of  South  Carolina,  who  had  been 
in  the  Act  and  Testimony  Convention  the  year  before,  was 
chosen  Moderator.  It  was  a  large  Assembly,  numbering 
over  two  hundred  and  fifty.  Many  of  the  most  prominent 
ministers  and  elders  of  the  church  were  in  commission. 
Dr.  Phillips  opened  with  a  sermon.  The  prominent  New 
School  leaders,  including  many  who,  after  the  division, 
went  back  to  Congregationalism,  were  in  attendance.  Dr. 
Peters  was  there ;  Dr.  Beecher  was  in  attendance,  though 
not  in  commission ;  Dr.  Skinner,  and  others  of  the  most 
learned  and  gifted  of  that  party,  were  present.  The  great 
question,  whether  the  New  Theology,  with  its  kindred  dis- 
cipline and  measures,  was  to  be  tolerated  in  the  Presby- 

(318) 


APPELLANT  ATTENTIVELY  HEARD.  319 

terian  Church,  was  expected  to  be  solved.  Two  prominent 
and  representative  men  of  their  party,  Mr.  Barnes  and  Dr. 
Beecher,  were  expected  to  be  on  trial  before  that  Assem- 
bly, and  commissioners  poured  in  from  all  parts  of  the  land. 
Men's  minds  were  on  the  stretch,  and  it  was  expected 
that  the  struggle  would  be  earnest  in  proportion  to  the 
great  issues  involved. 

Mr.  Barnes,  having  refused  to  submit  to  a  trial  before 
the  court  below,  was  not  technically  entitled  to  an  appeal; 
but  his  appeal  was  entertained  and  taken  up  early  in  the 
session.  The  large  edifice  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity  by  eager  spec- 
tators. 

Mr.  Barnes,  as  the  Appellant,  was  of  course  first  heard  in 
support  of  his  reasons  for  appeal,  and  in  defence  of  him- 
self against  the  charges.  His  argument  was  long,  able,  and 
ingenious,  and  delivered  with  a  calm  modesty  of  manner, 
that  made  a  very  favorable  impression.  He  was  heard  with 
profound  and  fixed  attention.  No  noise  or  other  evidence 
that  any  of  his  judges  were  inattentive  could  be  heard. 
The  galleries,  too,  were  perfectly  orderly,  no  movement 
being  observed,  except  occasionally  a  quiet  exchange  of 
look  or  whisper  of  gratulation  between  the  speaker's 
friends,  when  he  made  some  good  point  in  his  argument, 
or  some  moving  appeal  ad populum. 

But  when  Dr.  Junkin  arose  to  speak,  the  scene  imme- 
diately assumed  a  different  aspect.  The  New  School  weekly 
paper  had  been  distributed  in  the  pews  occupied  by  mem- 
bers of  the  Assembly,  before  the  sessions  of  that  day  began  ; 
and  at  the  moment  Dr.  Junkin  commenced  his  argument,  a 
portion  of  the  Assembly  seemed  to  be  simultaneously  seized 
with  an  eager  desire  to  become  acquainted  with  the  con- 
tents of  that  weekly.  About  a  hundred  of  them  were 
opened  at  the  same  time,  and  the  voice  of  the  speaker 
was,  for  awhile,  quite  drowned   in   the  rustling  of  news- 


320  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

papers,  whilst  some  of  the  judges  appeared  intent,  not  upon 
listening  to  him,  but  upon  reading  the  news. 

The  writer  of  these  pages  was  sitting  in  the  body  of 
the  church,  immediately  behind  a  member  of  the  court, 
whom  he  did  not  know.  He  was  a  handsome  man,  of 
perhaps  thirty  years,  and  seemed  to  be  especially  impa- 
tient at  the  prospect  of  listening  to  an  argument  upon 
what,  at  the  time,  he  believed  to  be  the  wrong  side.  Nor 
was  he  able  to  fix  his  eye  with  interest  upon  the  newspaper 
which  he  held  in  his  hand.  Leaning  forward  to  one  of  the 
judges,  who  sat  in  the  pew  before  him,  he  engaged  him 
in  conversation,  in  sotto  voce.  Meanwhile  the  gallery  lost 
its  quietude,  and  portions  of  its  occupants  became  sud- 
denly inspired  with  the  spirit  of  conversation  and  of  mirth ; 
and  for  a  time  it  appeared  unlikely  that  the  Defendant  in 
appeal  would  be  able  to  make  himself  heard.  Indignant 
at  this  marked  departure  from  the  proprieties  of  a  court 
of  Christ,  and  at  the  evident  unfairness  of  hearing  one  and 
not  the  other  of  the  parties  at  its  bar,  the  writer  took  the 
liberty — perhaps  unwarrantable — of  saying  in  a  whisper 
to  the  gentleman,  who  was  conversing  with  another  mem- 
ber of  the  court,  "Young  man,  permit  a  stranger  to  re- 
mind you  that  you  are  a  judge  in  a  court  of  Jesus  Christ, 
sitting  in  a  very  solemn  and  important  case."  He  seemed 
startled,  and  demanded,  "  What  do  you  mean,  sir?"  Not 
wishing  an  altercation  there,  no  answer  was  returned ;  and 
at  that  juncture  a  recess  of  ten  minutes  was  moved,  and 
there  was  a  general  retiring  to  the  church-yard.  Whilst 
there  and  conversing  with  a  friend,  the  writer  was  ap- 
proached by  the  judge  to  whom  he  had  whispered,  who 
said,  "I  demand  what  you  meant,  when  you  addressed  me 
in  the  house?"  "I  meant  just  what  I  said,  sir."  "I  de- 
mand an  explanation,  for  I  consider  you  have  acted  in  an 
ungentlemanly  way."  The  conversation  with  the  friend 
was  continued  without  noticing  this  last  remark,  but  was 


INCIDENTS. 


321 


somewhat  harassed  by  demands  from  the  young. judge  for 
an  explanation.  "  I  can  have  no  further  conversation  with 
you,  sir,  until  you  recall  the  offensive  term  '  ungentle- 
manly,'  which  you  have  used."  "Well,  it  was  an  im- 
proper term,  and  I  recall  it."  "Then,  I  will  hear,  you." 
"  I  wish  to  know  what  you  meant,  by  your  remark  in  the 
house?"  "  I  meant  this,  sir:  so  long  as  the  Appellant  was 
presenting  his  case  I  noticed,  with  pleasure,  that  the  court 
gave  fixed  and  decorous  attention  to  his  plea,  as  was  their 
duty.  The  moment  Dr.  Junkin  rose  to  speak,  his  voice 
was  drowned  in  a  storm  of  rustling  of  newspapers,  and 
a  part  of  the  court  seemed  to  withdraw  all  attention  from 
the  speaker;  and  I  noticed  that  you,  sir,  not  only  with- 
drew your  own  attention,  but  engaged  another  judge  in 
conversation."  "I  have  read  Dr.  Junkin's  Vindication, 
sir,  and  did  not  think  it  necessary,  on  that  account,  to 
listen  so  closely  to  his  argument."  "  You  are  not  to  pre- 
sume that  he  will  have  nothing  to  say,  in  his  present  plea, 
except  what  is  in  that  pamphlet ;  and  I  thought  it  unfair 
that  you  and  others  were  refusing  to  hear  him ;  and  as  I 
saw  that,  like  myself,  you  are  a  young  man,  I  took  the 
liberty  of  giving  the  hint  which  I  did."     "My  name  is 

,  I  will   thank  you  for  yours ;   and  if  I  have  said  or 

done  anything  improper,  I  am  sorry,  and  ready  to  make 
amends."  "  My  name  is  Junkin,  I  am  brother  to  the  De- 
fendant in  appeal  in  the  case  now  before  you ;  and  if  I 
have  erred  in  addressing  you  as  I  did,  I  ask  you  to  pardon 
me."  He  extended  his  hand,  it  received  a  brotherly 
grasp,  and  we  parted,  not  to  meet  again  until  some  years 
after  the  disruption,  when  he  appeared  in  the  Old  School 
General  Assembly,  as  a  champion  of  the  Old  Theology, 
from  a  new  Presbytery  in  one  of  the  exscinded  districts. 
There  is  reason  for  believing  that  this  frank,  noble,  and 
gifted  young  man,  then  in  sympathy  with  the  New  School, 
had,  upon  leaving  the  writer,  after   the   above  conversa- 


322  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

tion,  taken  pains  to  converse  with  some  of  his  brethren 
about  the  impropriety  of  their  behavior  at  the  time  Dr. 
Junkin  arose  to  speak ;  for  whilst  their  attention  was  not 
always  as  undivided  as  was  desirable,  there  was  no  repeti- 
tion of  the  indecorum   above  described.     Mr.  was 

particularly  attentive ;  and  eight  years  afterward,  when  we 
happened  to  meet  near  Niagara,  he  told  the  writer  that 
Dr.  Junkin 's  argument  had  set  him  upon  a  re-examination 
of  the  distinctions  between  the  Old  and  New  Theology; 
and  that  it  had  resulted  in  the  full  conviction  that  the  Old 
School  Theology  was  not  only  that  which  is  embodied  in  our 
standards,  but  the  Theology  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
It  may  not  be  improper  to  add  that  this  gentleman  has 
proved  one  of  our  ablest  ministers,  and  at  the  date  of 
this  writing  still  lives,  an  honored  pastor  of  an  important 
church. 

The  incident  just  narrated  illustrates  the  spirit  of  those 
unhappy  times,  whilst  it  proves  that  many  good  and  great 
minds  were  influenced  by  the  force  of  circumstances,  and 
by  their  local  and  social  relations,  to  occupy  ground  which 
their  cooler  and  more  matured  judgment  did  not  approve. 
This  may  have  been  the  case  on  both  sides. 

Dr.  Junkin's  array  of  the  proofs,  and  his  arguments  upon 
them,  was  worthy  of  himself  and  of  the  great  issues  in- 
volved. It  is  not  our  purpose  to  transfer  to  these  pages 
even  a  syllabus  of  that  plea.  It  can  be  found,  by  those 
curious  to  see  it,  in  its  main  points,  at  least,  in  his  "Vin- 
dication," a  book  now  nearly  out  of  print.  Justice  to 
him  seems  to  require  that  a  part  at  least  of  his  introduc- 
tion and  peroration  be  here  inserted,  as  illustrative  of  the 
spirit  with  which  he  conducted  this  trial ;  and  some  speci- 
mens of  his  argument  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix  to  this 
volume. 

He  began  with  a  graphic  and  impressive  description  of 
the  solemn  duties  and  tremendous  responsibilities  of  the 


DR.   J  UN  KIN'S  EXORDIUM.  323 

Christian  pastor,  closing  with,  "  In  view  of  these  exhausting 
labors,  and  consuming  cares,  and  soul-burdening  responsi- 
bilities, well  may  the  man  of  God  exclaim,  '  Who  is  suffi- 
cient for  these  things?'  "     He  then  proceeds : 

"To  all  this,  Mr.  Moderator,  I  know  your  heart  most 
cordially  responds.  Deeply  have  you  felt  these  responsi- 
bilities, and  earnestly  have  your  desires  gone  forth  after 
that  grace  whereby  only  any  man  can  be  sustained  under  a 
sense  of  their  magnitude.  Why,  then,  you  will  say  to  me, 
why  harass  a  Christian  brother  ?  Why  increase  the  heavy 
burdens  of  a  minister  of  God  by  such  a  prosecution  as  this? 
Has  not  this  brother  sufficient  cares  and  labors  already  for 
any  one  man  to  sustain  ?  Wherefore,  then,  add  the  spirit- 
chafing  and  patience-exhausting  efforts  necessary  in  defend- 
ing himself  against  charges  like  these? 

"These  interrogatories  are  very  natural  and  specious. 
And  I  am  not  wholly  unapprised  of  the  peculiar  difficulties 
to  which  he  is  exposed  who  voluntarily  steps  forward  to  be 
a  public  prosecutor  of  a  Christian  brother,  eminent  for 
talents,  and  occupying  a  distinguished  station  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  The  simple  fact  creates,  almost  instinct- 
ively, a  feeling  of  disgust  towards  the  individual,  and  of 
indignation  towards  his  conduct.  Many  will  apply  to  such 
disturbers  of  the  peace  the  language  which  John  applies  to 
Satan  himself.  Accordingly  I  have  already  been  branded  by 
not  a  few  'the  accuser  of  the  brethren,'  and  motives  have 
been  attributed  to  me  which  are  not  mine,  either  by  original 
conception  or  by  legal  imputation.  Hence,  sir,  it  becomes 
necessary  and  just  to  premise  a  few  remarks  in  reference  to 
my  present  posture. 

"  I.  Not  all  the  duties  of  men  and  of  ministers  are 
pleasant.  Doubtless  to  have  embraced  his  brother  Peter 
in  all  the  warmth  of  fraternal  feeling,  would  have  been  very 
gratifying  to  the  heart  of  Paul,  and  most  congenial  to  the 
spirit  of  love  that  animated  all  his  conduct;  and  yet  he 
'withstood  him  to  the  face,  because  he  was  to  be  blamed.' 
And  thus  it  often  happens :  the  course  most  agreeable  to 
our  feelings  is  not  the  course  of  duty.  Who  that  desires  to 
preserve  a  conscience  void  of  offence  has  never  been  con- 
strained to  meet  duties,  even  of  friendship  and  love,  very 
trying  to  both  ? 


324  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

"II.  Among  the  duties  of  this  kind  is  the  very  one  in 
question  ;  as  in  the  case  of  Paul  against  Peter ;  and  as  con- 
templated in  the  constitution  of  our  church  (Dis.,  v.  5), 
where  we  are  told  that  '  process  against  a  gospel  minister 
shall  not  be  commenced,  unless  some  person  or  persons 
undertake  to  make  out  the  charge.'  It  is  perfectly  obvious 
that  if  a  minister  is  ever  to  be  prosecuted,  some  person  or 
persons  must  do  it.  it  may,  therefore,  sometimes 

be  the  duty  of  some  person  to  prosecute  a  Christian  minis- 
ter. Do  you  demand  the  reasons  why  I  think  this  time  is 
come,  and  this  person  is  before  you  ? 

"  III.  This  demand  I  shall  meet,  not,  however,  to  justify 
my  motives,  but  simply  to  exhibit  reasons  for  my  conduct. 
Motives  unexpressed  it  is  God's  to  judge.  All  impeach- 
ment of  these  I  leave  with  Him.  No  man  has  a  right  to 
judge  motives,  only  so  far  as  they  are  exhibited  in  conduct. 
If  by  look,  word,  or  action  I  should  violate  the  law  of 
love,  then  condemn  me ;  but  not  upon  the  evidence  of  evil 
motives  merely  suspected  and  surmised.  It  is  the  purpose 
of  my  heart  in  all  this  business  to  be  guided  by  that  charity 
which  thinketh  no  evil;  and  if  I  be  found  to  err  from  this 
purpose,  it  will  be  through  infirmity  of  nature,  and  not 
through  unchristian  wilfulness.  On  this  point,  Mr.  Mod- 
erator, you  will  please  to  keep  in  mind  that  neither  quick- 
ness of  reply,  nor  elevation  of  voice,  becoming  disagree- 
ably shrill  as  it  rises,  nor  even  vehemence  of  manner  in 
action,  are  infallible  evidences  of  bad  temper  in  a  speaker. 
By  reason  of  these  defects  I  have  been  frequently  misun- 
derstood in  public  discussion,  and  bad  feeling  has  been 
imputed  to  me,  where  there  was  everything  the  reverse.  .  . 
As  to  warmth  of  manner,  sometimes  approaching  to  vehe- 
mence, you  will  bear  with  it.  You  love  to  see  it  in  the 
pulpit,  and  why  not  even  in  a  judicial  assembly,  when  the 
occasion  calls  for  it?  If  defect  it  be,  it  is  one  I  am  not 
very  anxious  to  correct.  My  soul  desires  not  alliance  with 
him  who  can  speak  on  the  most  serious  and  important  sub- 
jects without  emotion. 

"IV.  The  great  reason  why  I  am  before  you  in  the  odious 
character  of  a  volunteer  accuser  is  this,  that  eternal  truth  is 
at  stake.  Brother  Barnes  has,  in  these  'Notes  on  Romans,' 
impugned  some  of  the  leading  doctrines  of  Christianity. 
To  me  it  appears  that  he  has  uttered  sentiments  directly  at 


MR.  BARNES'    OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.       325 

variance  with  the  Standards  of  our  church  and  with  the 
Bible;  and  these  not  of  comparative  insignificance,  but 
of  vital  importance.  There  are  doctrines  set  forth  in  this 
volume,  as  I  suppose,  fundamentally  wrong.  Nor  am  I 
alone  in  this  opinion.  That  you  may  be  convinced  of  this, 
and  thereby  disposed  to  give  me  a  more  patient  hearing, 
let  me  present  the  opinions  of  the  gentlemen  who  conduct 
the  Biblical  Repertory. ' '  He  then  quotes  from  that  Review, 
vol.  ii.  p.  92,  and  proceeds:  "Other  men,  then,  it  seems, 
and  men  whose  opinions  are  wont  to  be  treated  with  re- 
spect, coincide  with  me  in  this  opinion Thus, 

you  perceive,  good  reasons  exist  why  some  person  should 
'make  out  the  charges,'  and  procure  a  sentence  of  con- 
demnation of  errors  so  fatal  to  the  Christian  system." 

Mr.  Barnes,  in  his  Defence,  had  complained  that  the 
bringing  of  these  charges  against  him  had  affected  his  fair 
fame,  and  was  calculated  to  bring  suspicion  upon  him. 

"  Suppose,"  said  he,  "  that  Dr.  Junkin  had  arraigned  me 
on  a  charge  of  adultery.  Suppose  that  the  fact  was  pro- 
claimed abroad,  and  suspicions  were  excited,  and  counsel 
employed,  and  a  jury  empanelled,  and  the  public  mind 
agitated,  and  a  strong  bias  should  set  against  my  character, 
and  peace  should  flee  from  my  family,  and  my  public  work 
should  be  closed.  And  then  suppose  that  the  public  should 
be  gravely  told  that  all  this  was  not  designed  to  injure  me, 
but  to  settle  some  mooted  points  about  the  crime  in  ques- 
tion, and  in  order  to  obtain  a  decision  on  the  law.  And 
would  it  be  possible  for  the  community  to  repress  its  indig- 
nation against  conduct  like  this?" 

To  this  reductio  ad  odium  Dr.  Junkin  replied,  that  the 
case  supposed  by  Mr.  Barnes  had  no  points  of  similarity  to 
his  own,  but  was  totally  different : 

"  1.  The  brother  has  never  been  arraigned  for  adultery; 
but  all  the  world  knows  that  for  many  years  he  has  been, 
not  secretly  suspected,  but  publicly  accused,  of  holding  the 
errors  here  charged.  For  six  years  the  religious  press,  and 
in  some  degree  the  secular  press,  have  groaned  under  the 
weight  of  this  controversy.  This  charge  has  been  widely 
public  and  flagrant,  long  before  my  charges  were  written. 

28 


326  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JVNKIN. 

It  is,  therefore,  idle,  and  worse  than  idle,  to  insinuate  that 
I  gave  origin  to  these  matters — have  '  published  them 
abroad' — have  'excited  suspicions'  to  destroy  ministerial 
character.  No,  sir,  I  never  drew  a  pen,  never  published  a 
line  of  the  volumes  that  have  been  poured  out  upon  the 
public  within  the  last  six  years ;  and  therefore  I  feel  it  to 
be  unkind  in  Brother  Barnes  to  attempt  to  represent  me  as 
an  agitator,  coming  in  after  '  the  agitations  of  that  time 
had  died  somewhat  away,'  and  opening  afresh  the  bleeding 
wounds  of  a  convalescent  church.  '  The  agitations  of 
these  times  had  died  somewhat  away'  when  these  charges 
were  brought!  Had  they,  indeed?  What!  in  March, 
1835  ?  Why,  Mr.  Moderator,  how  had  it  been  in  the  pre- 
ceding Assembly?  Were  there  no  'agitations'  there?  No  ! 
not  a  mountain-wave, — a  sweeping  tempest?  Why,  then, 
does  my  brother  throw  out  so  unkind  an  insinuation  ? 
Why  does  he  seem  to  wish  to  have  it  understood  that  I 
intruded,  like  an  evil  angel,  into  the  peaceful  paradise  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  threw  it  into  agitation  and 
angry  strife?  But  (2)  the  hypothesis  he  presents  proves 
the  correctness  of  the  remarks  I  made  about  the  absurdity 
of  abstract  judicial  process,  whilst  it  differs  from  the  present 
case  in  another  most  material  point,  viz.,  that  a  charge  of 
adultery  impeaches  moral  character  ;  but  a  charge  of  teach- 
ing error  does  not ;  it  exposes  to  civil  penalties,  the  other 
does  not.  Let  me  press  upon  your  notice  the  first  as  the 
chief  point  here.  In  preferring  these  charges  I  proclaimed 
nothing  new.  It  was  universally  known  that  Brother 
Barnes  was  by  many  supposed  to  hold  these  opinions.  In- 
deed, he  himself  stated  it.  'Charges,'  says  he,  'similar  to 
these  had  been  alleged  against  me.  Those  accusations  had 
been  laid  before  the  General  Assembly.'  Why,  then,  in- 
sinuate that  the  prosecutor  has  raised  this  storm  ?  On  the 
contrary,  may  we  not  ask,  Who  intruded  this  controversy 
into  the  Presbytery  and  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia?  Did 
this  storm  break  upon  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love  prior 
to  the  introduction  of  Brother  Barnes'  Way  of  Salva- 
tion?" 

As  the  inquiry  was  often  made  at  the  time  by  those 
who  were  disposed  to  censure  Dr.  Junkin,  "  Why  did  he 
undertake    this    prosecution?"    justice    to    his    memory 


REASONS  FOR    THE   PROSECUTION.  327 

seems  to  require  that  we  permit  him  to  answer  this  question 
for  himself.  This  he  does,  in  the  introduction  to  his 
speech  before  the  Assembly,  from  which  we  have  quoted 
above : 

"There  were  special  reasons  inducing  me  to  undertake 
this  unpleasant  service  for  the  church:  (1)  I  once  be- 
longed to  the  same  Presbytery  with  Mr.  Barnes  ;  had  lived 
in  the  midst  of  the  agitations  growing,  as  I  always  sup- 
posed, out  of  his  peculiar  opinions  ;  had  many  opportuni- 
ties of  marking  the  origin  and  spread  of  this  leaven  at 
work  in  the  mass,  and  had  some  little  knowledge  of  the 
brethren  in  and  around  Philadelphia — their  peculiar  tem- 
perament and  talents.  (2)  I  do  not  now  belong  to  that 
Synod.  For  more  than  two  years  I  had  ceased  to  mingle 
in  the  deliberations  of  any  of  its  Presbyteries.  Removed 
to  a  distance,  not  too  great  to  prevent  accurate  observation 
of  passing  events,  nor  so  small  as  to  keep  me  in  the 
whirl  of  excitement  caused  by  the  New  Theology,  I  really 
thought  I  could  look  calmly  on  the  scene,  and  rightly  esti- 
mate the  state  of  things.  Therefore  (3)  I  had  observed 
one  of  the  necessary  practical  results  of  the  continuance 
of  these  controversies — the  waning  of  Presbyterian  ism  in 
that  City.  Grieved  to  witness  this  sad  result,  I  was  con- 
vinced that  the  cause  must  be  removed,  or  the  evil  must 
increase.  Convinced,  as  I  still  am,  that  the  true  answer  to 
the  church's  complaint,  '  Why  is  my  pain  perpetual,  and 
my  wound  incurable,  which  refuseth  to  be  healed  ?'  (Jer. 
xv.  18)  is  found  in  the  fact  stated  by  the  same  prophet, 
'  They  have  healed  the  hurt  of  the  daughter  of  my  people 
slightly,  saying  Peace,  peace,  when  there  is  no  peace:' 
I  could  not  avoid  the  opinion,  that  the  man  who  would 
seize  the  probe,  run  it  deep  into  the  festering  wound,  and 
open  up  the  hidden  source  of  its  irritation,  though  he 
must  first  expect  the  malediction  of  the  patient,  would 
nevertheless  do  her  the  highest  service,  and  ultimately  win 
her  gratitude.  (4)  I  had  been  thrown  occasionally  into 
the  agitations  of  ecclesiastical  strife,  and  though  naturally 
of  quick  temperament,  I  thought,  from  past  experience,  that 
grace  and  prudence  would  carry  me  through  this  storm  as 
well  as  others.  (5)  I  had  been  a  Pastor,  and  knew  some- 
thing of  a  Pastor's  cares,  and  toils,  and  joys,  and  sorrows, 


328  LIFE    OF  DR.    GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

and  therefore  felt  that  my  sympathies  stood  ready  to  shield 
the  brother  from  any  severity  which  truth  might  drop  from 
my  tongue.  (6)  The  republication  of  the  doctrines  of 
'The  Way  of  Salvation,'  of  which  the  General  Assembly 
of  1831  had  said  it  'contains  a  number  of  unguarded  and 
objectionable  passages,'  and  their  republication  in  a  form 
more  objectionable  than  before,  shows  that  previous  warn- 
ings have  produced  no  good  effect,  and  has  opened  the 
door  and  invited  a  prosecution,  which  stands  entirely  de- 
tached from  the  former  collisions.  (7)  The  charitable 
enterprises  of  the  church  have  been  long  paralyzed  by 
these  agitations.  Brethren  have  been  compelled  to  resist 
innovation  and  to  expend  much  force  in  this  way,  which 
might  and  would  have  been  expended  in  the  noble 
enterprises  of  the  day,  but  for  this  necessity  of  defend- 
ing their  own  firesides  against  the  intrusions  of  a  new 
theology. 

"These  are  the  leading  reasons  why  this  process  is  begun. 
But  Brother  Barnes  has  stated  a  variety  of  objections  to 
the  present  prosecutor  in  particular :  (ij  'He  belongs  to  a 
different  Presbytery  from  himself.'  This  I  have  shown  to 
be  a  good  reason  for  my  undertaking  it.  (2)  '  Brother  B. 
was  of  good  and  fair  standing  in  his  Presbytery  and  church.' 
Answer — (a)  That  he  stood  fair  with  his  people,  if  he  was 
known  to  teach  dangerous  doctrines,  is  a  good  reason  why 
some  person  should  make  out  the  charges ;  for  if  his  own 
people  were  dissatisfied  with  his  doctrine,  it  would  be  evi- 
dence that  they  were  not  in  danger  of  being  drawn  away 
from  the  Presbyterian  Standards,  (b)  That  his  standing 
with  his  Presbytery  was  fair  was  to  have  been  expected, 
because  it  was  created  expressly  for  his  protection,  all  having 
been  excluded  from  it  who  were  likely  to  disturb  him  for 
his  belief.  If  prosecuted  at  all,  his  prosecutor  must  come 
from  another  Presbytery.  (3)  Mr.  Barnes  objects,  because 
he  'was  pursuing  the  duties  of  a  most  arduous  pastoral 
charge,  requiring  all  his  time  and  strength,  and  indeed  ex- 
hausting the  vigor  of  his  life.'  Oh,  sir,  if  Mr.  Barnes  had 
met  the  requirement  of  this  'most  arduous  pastoral  charge,' 
and  devoted  'all  his  time  and  strength'  sacredly  to  pas- 
toral duties,  you  had  never  heard  of  this  prosecution  ;  for 
then  these  '  Notes'  had  never  been  written  ;  and  hundreds 
and   thousands  of  Presbyterian   youth,   and  hoary  heads, 


MR.  BARNES'    OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.      329 

also,  had  never  been  endangered  by  the  alarming  doctrines 
of  this  book.  No,  sir,  this  brother  did  not  devote  'all  his 
time,  strength,  and  vigor'  to  pastoral  labors.  .  .  .  He  must 
needs  write  a  book,  containing  the  most  'objectionable' 
doctrines  of  his  celebrated  sermon,  and  thrust  it  forth 
among  our  Sunday-schools  and  Bible-classes,  and  churches 
and  people,  that  thus  he  may  teach  tens  of  thousands  sen- 
timents subversive  of  our  entire  system  of  doctrines.  Thus 
the  fire  that  was  smothered  under  by  the  slightly  healing 
policy  of  the  Assembly  of  1831,  is,  by  the  breath  of  this 
peaceful  brother,  blown  into  a  flame  that  sweeps  across  the 
continent.  Then,  from  the  meekness  of  his  peaceful  retreat, 
he  looks  forth  upon  this  tempest  of  fire,  and  placidly  com- 
plains that  the  uproar,  produced  by  the  efforts  to  extinguish 
it,  has  disturbed  the  quietness  of  his  retreat.  Oh  that  he 
had  paused  but  a  little  for  reflection,  and  considered  the 
possibility  that  the  refluent  flame  might  sweep  through  the 
branches  of  his  own  olive-tree,  and  consume  the  oil  of  his 
own  consolations  !  (4)  '  These  charges  are  substantially  the 
same  with  those  once  before  the  Assembly.'  So  they  are, 
and  the  Assembly  condemned  the  sermon  on  '  The  Way 
of  Salvation'  as  'containing  a  number  of  unguarded  and 
objectionable  passages'  (Min.,  p.  180),  but  exculpated  the 
writer  on  the  ground  of  explanations  given.  And  yet  now, 
in  this  book  of  Notes,  we  have  similar  expressions,  with- 
out an  attempt  to  disguise  by  explanations.  (5)  '  To  Dr. 
Junkin  I  had  done  no  injury.  ...  By  bringing  these 
charges  he  alleges,  impliedly,  that  he  has  been  injured, 
either  personally  or  as  one  of  the  Christian  community.  If 
not  injured,  in  one  of  these  senses,  there  could  have  been 
no  justifiable  pretence  for  bringing  them.'  On  the  con- 
trary, if  the  accused  had  injured  me  particularly,  it  would 
have  been  a  constitutional  bar  against  my  prosecuting ;  for 
the  Book  says,  '  Great  caution  ought  to  be  exercised  in  re- 
ceiving accusations  from  any  person  who  is  known  to 
indulge  a  malignant  spirit  against  the  accused.'  Now, 
injury  received  affords  ground  to  suspect  'a  malignant 
spirit,'  and  an  interest  in  his  conviction.  (6)  'His  opin- 
ions I  have  not  attacked.'  How  he  could  make  this  state- 
ment it  is  difficult  to  surmise.  My  opinions  are  contained 
in  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  the  Catechisms,  and  these  are 

28* 


33o  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

most  unceremoniously  attacked  in  this  book.  The  very- 
language  of  the  Catechism  is  quoted  in  derision  on  page 
117,  thus,  'What  idea  is  conveyed  to  men  of  common  un- 
derstanding by  the  expression  "they  sinned  in  him"?' 
And  so,  as  we  shall  see,  on  other  pages.  Has  he  not  at- 
tacked my  opinions?  (7)  I  am  President  of  a  College, 
and  therefore  ought  .not  to  bring  charges.  ( Why  should 
Dr.  Junkin  feel  himself  called  to  stand  forth  as  the  defender 
of  orthodoxy  and  the  accuser  of  his  brethren?  Why  should 
the  President  of  a  literary  institution  feel  himself  called  on  to 
bring  grave  and  solemn  charges  against  a  minister  in  another 
Presbytery?'  In  replying  to  this  objection  of  Brother 
Barnes,  it  may  be  asked,  why  Presidents  of  Colleges,  who 
have  charges  vastly  more  important  to  the  church  at  large 
than  any  mere  pastoral  charge  can  be,  should  be  deprived 
of  any  ministerial  right  ?  Why  should  men,  who  certainly 
need  as  much  decision  of  character  as  any  other  class  of 
citizens,  be  shut  up  to  the  degradation  of  everlasting  fluc- 
tuation ?  .  .  .  .  Must  Presidents  of  Colleges  necessarily  be 
men  of  indecision  in  all  matters  of  doctrinal  belief?  .  .  . 
On  the  contrary,  is  it  not  entirely  befitting  those  who  are 
intrusted  with  the  government  of  youth,  and  the  train- 
ing of  their  minds  to  habits  of  decided  and  independent 
action,  to  form  for  themselves,  cautiously  and  prudently,  and 
to  express,  on  all  proper  occasions,  explicitly,  openly,  and 
honestly,  the  moral  and  religious  principles  by  which  they 
themselves  and  their  institutions  are  governed  ?  Is  there 
any  class  of  men  whose  opinions  the  community  has  a 
deeper  interest  or  a  better  right  to  know? 

"  Now,  it  may  be  proper  to  state  that  some  friends  did 
advise  me,  in  regard  to  these  agitations  of  the  church,  to 
keep  quiet,  and  I  confess  the  advice  seemed  plausible ;  and 
when  the  first  trial  of  Mr.  Barnes  in  the  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia  came  on,  I  was  providentially  called  to  a  dis- 
tance from  the  scene,  and  was  glad  of  it,  and  would  still 
have  been  glad  to  escape  the  unhappiness  of  this  position. 
But,  then,  every  Minister  has  come  under  obligation  to  main- 
tain the  doctrines  of  our  Standards  against  all  opposition, 
wherever  and  whenever  the  God  of  providence  shall  present 
opportunity  ;  and,  therefore,  though  often  tempted  to  stand 
afar  off  and  witness  the  noble  strife  for  truth,  I  still  met 
my  ordination  vows.     They  forbade  my  shrinking.      They 


PRINCIPLES    OF  INTERPRETATION. 


33l 


told  me  of  claims  of  conscience  prior  to  those  of  any  lit- 
erary institution,  and  of  more  fearful  import." 

He  next  replied  to  the  objection  that  the  word  heresy 
was  not  in  the  charges ;  but  we  have  given  the  substance 
of  this  answer  elsewhere,  and  need  not  repeat  it. 

Before  entering  upon  the  consideration  of  the  charges, 
he  alluded  to  the  principle  of  interpretation  adopted  by 
Mr.  Barnes,  as  expressed  in  the  Preface  to  his  book  and  in 
his  defence  : 

"It  was  further  my  intention,  in  preparing  these  Notes, 
not  to  be  influenced  in  the  interpretation  by  a  regard  to 
any  Creed  or  Confession  of  Faith  whatever.  I  make  this 
frank  avowal  because  it  is  the  deliberate  and  settled  purpose 
of  my  mind,  and  because  it  is  the  principle  by  which  I 
always  expect  to  be  governed." 

Upon  this,  Dr.  Junkin  remarked  : 

"  No  man  admires  decision  of  character,  independence 
of  mind,  freedom  of  thought  and  action  more  than  I  do. 
Accordingly,  when  about  to  expound  a  text  or 
context,  I  first  study  the  Scripture,  usually  in  the  original, 
and  without  consulting  note  or  comment  of  others.  After- 
wards I  examine  authorities.  This  latter  half  of  my  rule 
is  founded  on  the  principle  of  my  second  remark,  viz., 
that  independence  of  mind  does  not  consist  in  supercilious 
contempt  of  other  men's  opinions.  Real  humility  appears 
to  me  entirely  consistent  with  unflinching  independence. 
To  possess  real  decision,  a  man  must  possess  clearness  of 
perception  and  accuracy  of  discrimination  ;  for  truth  is  the 
foundation  of  this  quality.  It  is  the  soul's  perception  of 
the  truth  that  gives  promptitude  in  counsel  and  firmness 
in  purpose.  If  a  man,  without  this  perception,  asserts  his 
claim  to  decision  of  character,  he  mistakes  self-sufficiency 
for  independence  of  mind,  and  mere  obstinacy  for  the 
highest  intellectual  attainment. 

"3.  I  dissent  from  the  rule  laid  down  by  Mr.  Barnes, 
because  every  man  is  bound,  by  the  highest  authority,  to 
interpret  Scripture  in  consistency  with  Scripture,  '  accord- 
ing to  the  analogy  of  faith,'  Rom.  xii.  6.      No  man  is  at 


332  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

liberty  to  take  any  given  text  and  construe  its  terms  ac- 
cording to  their  plain,  natural  meaning,  irrespective  of  the 
drift  and  scope  of  the  writer.  .  .  .  To  do  otherwise  is 
to  'handle  the  word  of  God  deceitfully.'  .  .  .  But 
Mr.  Barnes  rejects  this  obvious  rule  of  interpretation,  lest 
it  should  be  applied  to  '  Systems  of  Theology,'  and  demand 
'  that  we  should  interpret  the  Bible  so  as  to  accord  with  the 
system'  contained  in  itself.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  in 
interpreting  any  piece  of  writing  is  to  read  it  all  over,  and 
ascertain  its  general  drift,  its  grand  leading  substance,  its 
system.  This  ascertained,  we  are  to  be  guided  by  this  in 
examining  its  details  more  minutely.  And  this  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  has  done.  This  every  minister  of  that 
church  has  solemnly  declared,  in  the  face  of  heaven  and 
earth,  that  he  has  done  in  reference  to  the  Bible.  This 
declaration  is  made  in  his  ordination  vows.  He  has 
told  the  church  that  he  has  examined  the  Bible ;  that 
though  he  does  not  pretend  to  understand  all  of  it  in  its 
minute  parts,  yet  that  he  has  arranged  in  his  own  mind  its 
grand  leading  thoughts,  its  system  of  truth,  and  now  he 
solemnly  pledges  himself  to  be  guided  by  these  in  his  sub- 
sequent researches.  This  pledge  is  just  and  reasonable,  and 
no  man  can  be  a  Presbyterian  minister  until  after  he  has 
given  such  pledge.  His  ordination  vow  embraces  the 
Confession,  as  containing  the  system  of  doctrines  taught 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

"  Now,  I  contend  that  such  pledge  cannot  be  reconciled 
with  the  language  of  Mr.  Barnes'  rule  above  quoted.  He 
professes  to  have  given  what  he  supposes,  '  without  any 
regard  to  any  theological  system,  to  be  the  meaning  of  the 
Apostle.'  Whereas,  neither  he  nor  any  other  man  has  a 
right  to  interpret  this  particular  section  of  Scripture  with- 
out any  regard  to  the  theological  system  laid  down  in  the 
Bible."* 

The  foregoing  is  deemed  sufficient  to  enable  the  reader 
to  judge  of  the  reasons  of  Dr.  Junkin  for  placing  himself 
in  the  position  of  a  Prosecutor,  and  also  of  the  reason- 
ableness of  Mr.   Barnes'   objections  to  him  as  such.      In 


*  Vindication,  pp.  3-19. 


RESULTS   OF  NEW  THEOLOGY. 


333 


the  latter  part  of  his  exordium  he  shows  that  the  author 
of  the  Notes  had  plainly  violated  his  own  rule  of  inter- 
pretation ;  but  it  is  not  deemed  necessary  to  quote  more 
extensively. 

But  little  space  can  be  spared  for  the  conclusion  of  Dr. 
Junkin's  address.  After  arraying  the  proof,  with  accom- 
panying arguments,  he  proceeds: 

"  Such  is  the  system  of  doctrine  taught  in  these  Notes. 
Now,  Mr.  Moderator,  I  do  honestly,  and  in  the  fear  of 
God,  and  in  love  to  Brother  Barnes,  declare  my  belief  that 
this  leads,  by  a  direct  and  short  road,  to  downright,  deso- 
lating, damning  Socinianism.  If  this  system  is  true,  I'll 
be  a  Unitarian,  or  embrace  the  Deistical  theory  of  the  per- 
fectibility of  human  nature,  as  the  easiest  mode  of  escape 
from  all  these  perplexing  theological  controversies.  To 
my  mind,  the  advocates  of  this  system,  who  are  gracious 
men,  appear  like  a  boat  and  crew  suspended  from  the  lower 
extremity  of  Grand  Island  by  a  cable  one  mile  and  three- 
eighths  in  length.  There  they  hang  upon  the  tossing, 
foaming  surface  of  the  mighty  river — just  over  Niagara's 
roaring  cataract  —  and  row  all  their  might  down-stream, 
and  are  only  prevented  from  accomplishing  the  fearful 
plunge  by  the  strength  of  the  cable.  That  cable,  sir,  is 
the  grace  of  God,  but  for  which,  that  mistaken  crew  would 
make  the  disastrous  descent  into  the  horrible  gulf  of  Socini- 
anism !  Now,  cut  this  cable,  and  where  are  the  crew? 
Put  into  this  boat  men  who  are  not  anchored  to  the  throne 
of  God  by  the  very  cords  of  grace  which  this  system 
denies,  and  the  moment  they  are  let  go, — where  are  they  ? 
Oh,  let  us  do  our  duty  in  endeavors  to  dissuade  our  breth- 
ren from  such  mad  experiments  !  If  this  system  shall  per- 
vade our  church,  where  will  our  children  be?"  etc.  etc. 

His  closing  paragraph  was  : 

"  Solemn  indeed  are  the  responsibilities  that  now  rest 
upon  this  Assembly.  This  is  to  you  an  hour  of  no  ordi- 
nary interest.  Never,  perhaps,  has  a  body  of  ministers 
and  elders  met  on  this  Continent  to  whose  acts  so  much 
importance  has  been  attached,  and  to  whom  so  large  a 
number  of  the  friends  and  the  enemies  of  truth  and  order 


334  LIFE    0F  DR-   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

are  looking  with  intense  anxiety.  Never,  perhaps,  has  so 
much  ardent  supplication  ascended  to  the  Throne  of  Divine 
mercy  on  behalf  of  any  General  Assembly.  Let  a  knowl- 
edge of  this  fact  encourage  you  to  faithfulness  in  the  solemn 
duties  of  your  station.  And  let  us  all  bear  in  mind  that 
there  is  'a  great  white  throne,'  before  which  we  must  each 
one,  for  his  own  personal  and  official  conduct,  give  an 
account  to  Him,  whose  eyes  are  as  a  flaming  fire,  and  who 
will  rectify  all  our  mistakes,  and  shall  pronounce  a  judg- 
ment according  to  truth  that  shall  stand  forever  !  To  you 
is  now  committed  the  final  issue  of  this  case  on  earth,  and 
to  Him  in  heaven  !" 

The  result  of  the  trial  of  Mr.  Barnes  before  the  General 
Assembly  was  that  his  appeal  was  sustained.  The  trial 
occupied  about  a  week  of  the  time  of  the  Assembly ;  and 
the  vote  to  sustain  the  appeal  was  carried  by  134  to  96, 
six  declining  to  vote, — and  they  of  Old  School  sentiments, 
— and  the  large  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  of  course,  being 
excluded  from  the  vote.  It  has  been  stated  that,  at  the 
opening  of  the  Assembly,  the  orthodox,  including  "mid- 
dle men,"  had  a  small  majority.  This  was  changed,  by  the 
arrival  of  other  commissioners  from  Illinois  and  Missouri, 
on  the  third  day  of  the  session,  so  that  the  New  School 
had  a  decisive  majority  when  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia 
was  excluded.  The  result  was  received  with  great  de- 
light by  all  the  friends  of  innovation  ;  and  yet,  when  the 
process  by  which  that  result  was  reached  is  considered, 
there  was  not  much  ground  for  triumph  on  the  part  of 
the  friends  of  Mr.  Barnes  and  the  New  Theology.  To 
explain  this  is  due  to  the  truth  of  history.  It  might  be 
sufficient  to  say,  that  the  majority  in  the  Assembly  was  the 
legitimate  offspring  of  the  Plan  of  Union  and  of  the  Home 
Missionary  Society.  Dr.  Peters,  the  chief  actuary  of  that 
Society,  was  the  New  School  candidate  for  Moderator, 
and  probably  failed  of  his  election  only  because  a  steam- 
boat, upon  which  many  New  School  commissioners  were 


VAST  INTERESTS  INVOLVED.  335 

embarked,  had  run  upon  a  sand-bar,  and  did  not  arrive  at 
Pittsburg  until  after  the  election.  That  gentleman,  with 
others,  had  been,  during  the  previous  year,  marshalling 
the  forces  that  adhered  to  his  views.  For  not  only  were 
the  great  questions  of  Theology  to  be  settled,  but  those  also 
of  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missions.  It  seemed  evident 
that  upon  the  complexion  and  decisions  of  this  Assembly 
depended  the  questions,  whether  or  not  the  New  Theol- 
ogy was  to  be  tolerated  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
whether  the  church  was  to  have  the  control  of  her  own 
missionary  operations,  at  home  and  abroad.  The  interests 
involved  were  vast ;  and  the  efforts  of  parties  were  propor- 
tionally energetic.  The  friends  of  innovation  had  this 
advantage  of  their  opponents, — they  were  not  restrained 
by  strict  constructions  of  the  Constitution  of  the  church ; 
and  if  it  were  an  object  to  gain  numbers  by  dividing  up 
Presbyteries  so  as  to  increase  the  count  of  commissioners, 
they  did  not  hesitate  to  do  it  in  the  Synods  in  which  they 
had  the  control.  The  strict  construction  principles  of  the 
Old  School  restrained  them  from  this.  Besides,  the  Mis- 
sionary Presbyteries  on  the  frontiers  were  often  very  small, 
and  yet  could  send  an  equal  number  of  commissioners  to 
the  Assembly  with  larger  Presbyteries.  And  many  of  these 
Presbyteries  were  composed  chiefly  of  missionaries  of  the 
American  Home  Missionary  Society,  of  which  Dr.  Peters 
was  the  head. 

Now,  in  saying  what  is  true,  that  in  rallying  numbers  the 
New  School  were  more  expert  than  their  opponents, — and 
that  they  possessed  greater  facilities  for  making  their  forces 
effective, — and  that  they  did  it, — we  impeach  no  motive,  and 
charge  no  criminality.  Whilst  differing  totally  from  them 
in  their  Theology  and  their  Polity,  we  can  readily  conceive 
that  men  of  their  "liberal"  way  of  thinking,  and  looking 
upon  the  interests  of  religion  and  the  country  from  a  less 
denominational  stand-point,  might  "verily  think  that  they 


336  LIFE   OF  DR.  GEORGE   JUNK  IN. 

ought  to  do  many  things  contrary  to"  the  old  Theology  and 
the  stiffer  Presbyterianism  of  the  Old  School.  That  they 
did  this  is  now  matter  of  history ;  and  in  order  to  account 
for  their  conduct,  it  is  by  no  means  necessary  to  ascribe  to 
them  unchristian  or  dishonorable  motives. 

That  not  a  few  of  the  leaders  did  intend  to  effect  exten- 
sive changes  in  the  Doctrinal  testimonies  of  the  church, 
and  in  her  Ecclesiastical  polity, — changes  which  the  Old 
School  deemed  revolutionary, — was  proven  by  competent 
witnesses,  and  put  on  record,  not  long  after  the  dissolution 
of  the  Assembly  of  1836.  That  they  could  form  such  a 
purpose  does  not  imply  that  they  did  not  think  it  right,  ex- 
pedient, and  for  the  best  interests  of  Christianity ;  for  we 
have  no  right  to  judge  that  they  were  insincere  in  adopting 
their  theological  opinions  ;  and  when  opinions  are  sincerely 
adopted,  it  is  most  natural  to  desire  by  all  means  to  spread 
them.  And  it  is,  perhaps,  impossible  for  an  Old  School 
mind,  looking  upon  the  history  of  this  period  from  an  Old 
School  stand-point,  and  with  his  own  rigid  notions  of 
church  order,  to  form  a  judgment  in  regard  thereto  which 
would  do  simple  and  full  justice  to  the  actors  in  those 
scenes. 

It  was  to  be  expected  that  a  majority,  secured  most 
probably  by  the  means  above  indicated,  and  composed  of 
men  holding  the  views  we  have  described,  would  be  loyal 
to  their  leaders  and  to  the  aims  which  inspired  them. 
And  they  were.  To  quote  the  pregnant  language  of  Dr. 
Peters,  in  regard  to  one  of  the  questions  before  the  Assem- 
bly,  it  might    be    said  of  every  question, — "that  is  to 

BE  DFXIDED  BY  A  MAJORITY  OF  VOTES." 

In  accounting  for  the  result  of  the  trial  of  Mr.  Barnes, 
then,  it  is  enough  to  know  that  the  party  which  sympathized 
with  him  had  a  working  majority  ;  that  some  of  the  moder- 
ate men  who  were  sound  in  doctrine,  shrunk  from  the  idea 
of  silencing  a  minister;  that  six  asked  to  be  excused  from 


RESOLUTION  OF  DR.  MILLER.  337 

voting,  and  that  the  commissioners  of  the  large  Synod  of 
Philadelphia  were  excluded  from  voting.  Besides  this,  it 
is  evident  that  quite  a  number  of  the  members,  who  were 
convinced  that  the  proof  of  most  of  the  charges  was  suffi- 
cient, voted  to  sustain  the  appeal  with  the  full  expectation, 
that  if  they  would  join  in  acquitting  the  man,  a  majority 
of  the  Court  would  afterwards  condemn  and  bear  testimony 
against  the  doctrines  of  the  book. 

Indeed,  there  is  proof  that,  justly  or  not,  this  expectation 
was  based  upon  supposed  pledges  of  the  New  School ;  for 
immediately  after  the  vote  to  reverse  the  decision  of  the 
Synod,  and  remove  the  suspension  of  Mr.  Barnes,  Dr. 
Samuel  Miller  offered  a  resolution,  pronouncing  the  judg- 
ment of  the  Assembly  to  be,  that  "Mr.  Barnes  has  pub- 
lished opinions  materially  at  variance  with  the  Confession 
of  Faith  and  the  Word  of  God,  especially  with  regard  to 
original  sin,  the  relation  of  man  to  Adam,  and  justification 
by  faith  in  the  atoning  sacrifice  and  righteousness  of  the 
Redeemer;"  censuring  the  manner  in  which  he  had,  in 
his  book  and  speech,  "controverted  the  language  and  doc- 
trines of  our  public  Standards;"  and  admonishing  him  to 
"  review  his  work  on  the  Romans,  and  to  modify  its  objec- 
tionable language ;  and  to  be  more  careful  in  time  to  come 
to  study  the  peace  and  purity  of  the  church."* 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Dr.  Miller  and  others  had  been 
led,  probably  by  out-door  conversations  of  members  of  the 
Court,  to  believe  that  if  they  would  vote  to  sustain  the  appeal 
and  remove  the  suspension  of  Mr.  Barnes,  the  friends  of 
that  gentleman  would  consent  to  the  adoption  of  such  a 
resolution.  But  the  simple-hearted  and  venerable  Professor 
reckoned  without  his  host.  That  question,  too,  was  "de- 
cided by  a  majority  of  votes."  And  the  wonder  is  that, 
after  sustaining  the  appeal,  there  could  be  found  one  hun- 

*  Life  of  Dr.  Miller,  vol.  ii.  p.  237. 
29 


338  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUKKW. 

dred  and  nine  votes  to  pass  so  severe  a  censure  upon  a 
book,  the  author  of  which  they  had  just  restored  to  the 
ministry  !  The  vote  stood  109  to  122;  and  it  is  a  singular 
illustration  of  the  forbearing  spirit  of  Dr.  Miller,  and  the 
moderate  Old  School  men,  towards  persons  accused  of  error, 
that  they  voted  to  acquit  Mr.  Barnes,  and  immediately  after 
were  anxious  to  say,  in  the  resolution,  that  "the  Assembly 
consider  the  manner  in  which  Mr.  Barnes  \\as  controverted  the 
la ngit age  and  the  doctrine  o{  our  public  Standards  as  very  rep- 
rehensible, and  as  adapted  to  pervert  the  minds  of  the  rising 
generation  from  the  simplicity  and  purity  of  the  gospel  plan. 
And  although  some  of  the  most  objectionable  statements 
and  expressions,  which  appeared  in  the  earlier  editions  of 
the  work  in  question,  have  been  either  removed  or  so  far 
modified  and  explained  as  to  render  them  more  accordant 
with  our  public  formularies,  still  the  Assembly  considers 
the  work,  even  in  its  present  amended  form,  as  containing 
representations  which  cannot  be  reconciled  with  the  letter  or 
spirit  of  our  public  Standards  ;  and  would  solemnly  admon- 
ish Mr.  Barnes,"  etc.* 

Now,  if  the  candid  reader  will  consider  that  one  hundred 
and  nine  members  of  the  General  Assembly  gave  the  above 
written  judgment  in  regard  to  the  "amended  edition"  of 
Mr.  Barnes'  book ;  that  Dr.  Junkin's  charges  were  based 
upon  the  first  edition  ;  that  145  to  16  voted  to  sustain  Dr. 
Junkin's  Appeal  in  the  Synod  ;  that  1 16  in  the  Synod  voted 
for  the  sentence  of  suspension ;  that  the  majority  in  the 
General  Assembly  for  sustaining  Mr.  Barnes'  Appeal  was 
only  38,  6  not  voting,  and  the  commissioners  of  eight  Old 
School  Presbyteries,  in  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  (26),  ex- 
cluded, he  will  perceive  that  the  verdict  against  Dr.  Jun- 
kin  was  by  no  means  a  decisive  one ;  indeed,  that  it  was  in 
his  favor  and  against  the  accused  ;   for — 

*  Life  of  Dr.  Miller,  vol.  ii.  p.  287,  note. 


VOTE   IN  GENERAL   ASSEMBLY. 


339 


1.  Some  of  the  votes  for  sustaining  Mr.  Barnes'  Appeal 
would  not  have  been  given  to  that  end,  but  for  the  hope 
that,  whilst  the  man  was  to  be  acquitted,  his  doctrines  were 
to  be  condemned.  This  is  proved  by  Dr.  Miller's  resolu- 
tion, and  the  vote  it  received. 

2.  In  the  process  of  the  trials  of  Mr.  Barnes,  under  Dr. 
Junkin's  charges,  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  of  their 
peers  voted  that  the  charges  were  sustained  (3  in  the  Second 
Presbytery,  145  in  the  Synod,  and  109  in  the  Assembly), 
whilst  only  134  of  the  Assembly,  and  say  20  of  his  own 
Presbytery,*  making,  in  all,  154  of  his  peers,  voted  that 
they  were  not  sustained.  Acquitted  technically  by  the 
peculiar  operation  of  our  system  of  Courts,  the  majority  of 
all  who  voted  on  Mr.  Barnes'  case  pronounced  the  charges 
proven.  This  is  mentioned  simply  to  show  that  Dr.  Jun- 
kin  was  justifiable  in  bringing  the  charges,  and  that  if  he 
erred  in  judgment  in  believing  that  Mr.  Barnes  had  taught 
the  errors  charged,  he  erred  in  common  with  a  vast  ma- 
jority of  the  church. 

Two  Protests  were  recorded  against  the  decision  of  the 
Assembly  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes  One  of  these  was 
signed  by  one  hundred  and  one  members,  the  other  by  six- 
teen. These  sixteen  state  in  their  protest,  that  "  they  are 
of  opinion  that  the  Appeal  of  the  Rev.  A.  Barnes  should 
be  sustained  only  in  part,  and  that  a  modified  decision 
should  be  made,"  which  statement  corroborates  the  view 
given  in  the  last  paragraph  that  Mr.  Barnes'  acquittal  was 
technical.  Had  these  sixteen  voted  to  sustain,  and  the  six 
who  declined  voting,  voted  with  them,  as  they  probably 
would  have  done,  the  result  would  have  been  different. 

In  their  Protest  the  sixteen  explicitly  condemn  the  Second 
(Assembly's)  Presbytery  for  withholding  their  records  from 
the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  and  Mr.  Barnes  for  refusing  to 

*  The  writer  could  not  ascertain  the  exact  vote  in  his  Presbytery. 


340  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

plead;  and  say  that  the  act  of  the  Synod,  in  trying  Dr. 
Junkin's  Appeal,  was  "questionable."  They  express  the 
opinion  that  "  the  charges  of  Dr.  Junkin  were  at  least  par- 
tially substantiated,  and  that  on  very  important  topics  of 
the  System  of  Doctrine  contained  in  the  Confession  and 
the  Word  of  God  ;  and  that  therefore  the  Appeal  could  be 
sustained  only  in  a  modified  sense,  if  at  all,  on  this  ground, 
without  an  implied  approbation  of  his  doctrinal  views."  2. 
They  express  the  opinion  that  the  sentence  of  the  Synod 
was  perhaps  unduly  severe,  in  view  of  the  alterations  Mr. 
Barnes  had  made  in  his  book  ;  and  3.  They  aim  to  define 
their  position  in  regard  to  this  trial  and  its  results,  and  con- 
clude by  saying,  "nor  will  they  conceal  that  they  have 
painful  apprehensions  that  these  things  will  lead  to  increased 
dissension,  and  endanger  the  disruption  of  the  holy  bonds 
which  hold  us  together  as  a  church."* 

Such  was  the  profound  conviction  of  these  sixteen  men, 
of  whom  Drs.  Hoge  and  Miller  and  Judge  Ewing  were  the 
first  three  on  the  list.  It  was  the  verdict  of  peace  men,  "mid- 
dle men,"  in  regard  to  the  matters  at  issue;  and  if  there 
were  no  other  proof  that  Dr.  Junkin  had  good  grounds  for 
his  charges,  this  alone  would  be  sufficient. 

All  except  two  of  these  sixteen  signed  the  other  Protest, 
which  exhibited  such  names  as  W.  W.  Phillips,  D.D.,  Joseph 
McElroy,  D.D.,  James  Hoge,  D.D.,  Francis  McFarland, 
D.D.,  Samuel  Miller,  D.D.,  William  L.  Breckenridge, 
James  Lenox,  and  others  worthy  of  such  company.  They 
protest  against  the  action  of  the  Assembly — 

1.  Because  they  believe  the  Standards  of  the  church,  in 
their  plain  and  usually  received  meaning,  to  be  the  rule  of 
judgment  by  which  all  doctrinal  controversies  are  to  be 
decided.  And  in  the  decision  of  the  Assembly  in  the  case 
of  Mr.  Barnes,   there  was   a  departure  from    that   rule,   a 

*  Minutes,  1836,  p.  286. 


PROTESTS. 


341 


refusal  to  bear  testimony  against  errors,  with  an  implied 
approbation  of  them,  and  a  denial  that  ministers  in  our 
church  are  under  obligations  to  conform  to  our  doctrinal 
Standards. 

2.  Because  the  errors  in  question  do  not  consist  merely 
or  chiefly  in  ambiguous  expressions  and  illustrations,  but  in 
sentiments  respecting  the  great  and  important  doctrines  of 
the  Gospel  which  are  utterly  inconsistent  with  the  Confes- 
sion of  Faith  and  the  Word  of  God:  "  We  sincerely  and 
firmly  believe  that  Mr.  Barnes  has  denied,  and  that  in  a 
sneering  manner,  that  Adam  was  the  covenant  head  of  the 
human  race;  that  all  mankind  sinned  in  him  as  such,  and 
were  thus  brought  under  the  penalty  of  transgression ;  that 
Christ  suffered  the  penalty  of  the  law  when  he  died  for 
sin ;  and  that  the  righteousness  of  Christ  is  imputed  to  us 
for  justification,"  etc. 

3.  "Because  this  expression  of  approbation  of  his  opin- 
ions was  passed  after,  as  we  believe,  it  had  been  clearly  and 
sufficiently  proved  to  the  Assembly  that  Mr.  Barnes  had 
denied  these  important  truths,  and  had  expressed  opinions 
concerning  original  sin,  the  nature  of  faith,  and  the  nature 
of  justification,  which  cannot  be  reconciled  with  our  Stand- 
ards," etc.* 

That  readers  of  these  pages  may  be  able  to  judge  for 
themselves  whether  the  opinion  of  these  protestants  was 
founded  in  truth,  or  whether  the  action  of  the  majority 
was  so  founded,  a  point  or  two  will  now  be  stated.  The 
reply  to  the  Protest  asserts  that  "Mr.  Barnes  nowhere 
denies,  much  less  sneers  at,  the  idea  that  Adam  was  the 
covenant  and  federal  head  of  his  posterity.  On  the  con- 
trary, though  he  employs  not  these  terms,  he  does,  in  other 
language,  teach  the  same  truths  which  are  taught  by  the 
phraseology." 


*  Minutes,  1836,  p.  283. 


29' 


342  LIFE    OF  DR.    GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

It  should  be  noted  that  Dr.  Junkin  charged  Mr.  Barnes 
with  denying  that  Adam  was  the  federal  head  and  repre- 
sentative of  his  natural  posterity,  and,  as  proof,  he  cited, 
among  other  passages  from  the  book,  the  following,  the 
comment  upon  Rom.  v.  19: 

"Nothing  is  said  here  of  the  doctrine  of  representation. 
It  is  not  affirmed  that  Adam  was  the  representative  of  his 
race,  nor  is  that  language  used  in  regard  to  him  in  the 
Bible.  (2)  Nothing  is  said  of  a  covenant  with  him.  No- 
where in  the  Scriptures  is  the  term  covenant  applied  to  any 
transaction  with  Adam.  (3)  All  that  is  established  here  is 
the  simple  fact  that  Adam  sinned,  and  that  this  made  it 
certain  that  all  his  posterity  would  be  sinners.  Beyond 
this  the  language  of  the  Apostle  does  not  go,  and  all  else 
that  has  been  said  of  this  is  the  result  of  mere  philosophical 
speculation.  .  .  .  Various  attempts  have  been  made  to 
explain  this.  The  most  common  has  been  that  Adam  was 
the  representative  of  his  race;  that  he  was  a  covenant  head, 
and  that  his  sin  was  imputed  to  his  posterity,  and  that  they 
were  held  liable  to  punishment  for  it  as  if  they  had  com- 
mitted it  themselves.  But  to  this  there  are  great  and  insu- 
•perable  objections:  (1)  There  is  not  one  word  of  it  in  the 
Bible.  Neither  the  terms  representative,  covenant,  nor 
impute  are  ever  applied  to  the  transaction  in  the  sacred 
Scriptures.  (2)  It  is  a  mere  philosophical  theory ;  an  in- 
troduction of  a  speculation  into  theology,  with  an  attempt 
to  explain  what  the  Bible  has  not  explained."* 

"The  words  representative  and  federal  head  are  never 
applied  to  Adam  in  the  Bible  The  reason  is  that  the  word 
representative  implies  an  idea  which  could  not  have  ex- 
isted in  the  case, — the  consent  of  those  who  are  represented. 
Besides,  the  Bible  does  not  teach  that  they  acted  in  him, 
or  that  he  acted  for  them.  No  passage  has  ever  yet  been 
found  that  stated  this  doctrine,  "f 

On  Rom.  v.  12,  he  says  the  Apostle  "was  inquiring  into 
the  cause  why  death  was  in  the  world ;  and  it  would  not 
account  for  that  to  say  that  all  sinned  in  Adam. 

*  Notes  on  Romans,  1st  edition,  p.  128.  f  Ibid.,  p.  120. 


STARTLING   INCONSISTENCIES. 


343 


The  expression  '  in  whom  all  have  sinned'  conveys  no 
intelligible  idea.  As  men  had  no  existence  then,  in  any 
sense,  they  could  not  then  sin.  What  idea  is  conveyed  to 
men  of  common  understanding  by  the  expression  '  they 
sinned  in  him'  ?  " 

With  such  statements  before  them,  cited  from  Mr. 
Barnes'  book,  how  could  the  majority  of  the  Assembly 
solemnly  vote,  and  put  on  record,  that  "  Mr.  B.  nowhere 
denies,  much  less  sneers  at,  the  idea  that  Adam  was  the 
covenant  and  federal  head  of  his  posterity,  .  .  .  but 
does,  in  other  language,  teach  the  same  truths  which  are 
taught  by  the  phraseology"? 

Not  content  with  thus  indorsing  Mr.  Barnes'  orthodoxy, 
they  solemnly  declare,  in  the  same  reply,  "that  they  do, 
cordially  and  ex  ammo,  adopt  the  Confession  of  our  church, 
on  the  points  of  doctrine  in  question,  according  to  the 
obvious  and  most  prevalent  interpretation."*  And  in  the 
same  paragraph  they  express  peculiar  admiration  for  the 
Standards,  and  "deprecate  any  attempt  to  change  the 
phraseology  of  our  Standards,  and  disapprove  of  any  lan- 
guage of  light  estimation  of  them." 

How  such  declarations  could  be  made  in  such  a  con- 
nection, and  why  they  were  made,  it  is  difficult  to  surmise. 
If,  as  some  supposed,  the  design  was  to  lull  the  appre- 
hensions of  the  Old  School,  and  to  reassure  the  "middle 
men,"  who  gave  evidence  of  alarm,  it  signally  failed.  For 
even  the  Peace  men  in  the  church  perceived  such  irrecon- 
cilable inconsistency  between  the  acts  of  the  Assembly  in 
acquitting  Mr.  Barnes,  and  the  professions  of  the  Assembly 
of  loyalty  to  the  Standards,  that  their  confidence  in  those 
professions  could  not  be  won.  From  that  time  forth  con- 
viction was  brought  home  to  the  minds  of  all  who  became 
acquainted  with  the  circumstances,  that  the  New  Theology 

*  Minutes,  1836,  p.  287. 


344  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

was  to  be  shielded  and  disseminated  in  our  church,  under 
specious  protestations  of  love  to  her  Standards,  which  are 
in  direct  antagonism  to  that  Theology.  The  substantial 
ends  of  the  prosecution  were  attained.  It  was  not  Dr. 
Junkin's  aim  at  all  to  put  Mr.  Barnes  out  of  the  ministry, 
or  keep  him  out,  but  to  obtain  authoritative  censure  of 
his  errors,  convince  the  church  that  they  were  errors, 
and  prevent  their  spread  as  Presbyterian  doctrine.  He 
would  have  greatly  rejoiced  if,  at  any  time  during  the 
progress  of  the  trials,  Mr.  Barnes  had  been  convinced 
that  his  language  was  opposed  to  the  Standards,  and  had 
proposed  a  satisfactory  modification  of  it.  The  vindication 
of  truth  was  all  the  Prosecutor  sought.  Indeed,  at  one 
time,  during  the  preliminary  steps  of  the  trial  of  the  Appeal 
before  the  Assembly,  there  seemed  to  be  a  prospect  of  such 
an  amicable  adjustment.  The  explanations  of  Mr.  Barnes 
were  so  full,  his  apparent  retractions  so  satisfactory,  and 
his  professed  acceptance  of  the  Confession  so  hearty,  upon 
the  points  of  the  charges,  that  Dr.  Junkin  was  induced  to 
say  to  the  Assembly,  "  If  the  concessions  which  we  heard 
yesterday  can  be  put  in  a  form  that  is  satisfactory,  I  shall 
be  willing  to  take  a  course  that  will  save  the  time  of  the 
Assembly." 

Had  Mr.  Barnes  consented  to  put  in  writing  statements 
which  he  had  made  on  the  floor,  the  trial  might  have  been 
arrested,  and  possibly  peace  restored,  and  the  unity  of  the 
church  preserved.  But  Mr.  Barnes  declared,  in  answer  to 
this  proposal,  that  he  meant  not  to  retract  anything,  and 
never  would. 

There  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  Mr.  Barnes  had  at 
one  time  been  counselled  to  consent  to  a  conformation  of  the 
language  of  his  book  to  the  teaching  of  the  Standards,  and 
was  well-nigh  persuaded  to  do  it ;  and  that  he  was  subse- 
quently advised  to  resume  his  attitude  of  adherence  to  his 
published  views. 


AN  INCIDENT. 


345 


An  incident,  illustrative  of  the  probable  influences  that 
were  gathered  round  the  accused,  occurred  to  the  writer 
of  these  pages,  then  a  young  man  in  the  second  year  of  his 
ministry.  This  incident  was  detailed  in  a  letter  to  Dr. 
G.  W.  Musgrave,  in  answer  to  one  of  inquiry  from  him, 
and  published  by  him  in  the  Presbyterian  of  1837,  p.  in, 
The  writer  had  ridden  out  to  Canonsburg,  the  seat  of  his 
Alma  Mater,  Jefferson  College,  and  spent  Sabbath,  the 
29th  of  May,  at  that  place.  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher  was  his 
fellow-guest  of  the  venerable  President  Brown.  On  Monday 
morning,  as  the  young  preacher  was  leaving  Canonsburg, 
he  overtook  Dr.  Beecher,  and  as  they  were  both  mounted, 
they  rode  together  towards  Pittsburg. 

The  troubles  of  the  church  were  soon  introduced  in  the 
conversation  by  the  Doctor.  Both  deplored  them.  Dr.  B. 
seemed  distressed  at  the  prospect  before  our  Zion.  He 
inquired  what  terms  Dr.  Junkin  would  probably  accept 
from  Mr.  Barnes  as  the  basis  of  an  amicable  adjustment. 
He  was  assured,  in  reply,  that  all  the  Prosecutor  sought 
was  Union  in  the  Truth,  and  that  he  and  the  Old  School 
would  be  glad,  so  far  as  the  writer  knew,  to  accept  of  any 
terms  that  would  preserve  the  inviolability  of  the  Stand- 
ards. "What  terms  of  concession  do  you  think,  Mr. 
Junkin,  would  satisfy  your  brother?"  "I  am  not  author- 
ized to  speak  for  him,  but  it  is  my  judgment  and  belief 
that,  if  Mr.  Barnes  will  go  as  far  in  conforming  his  lan- 
guage and  statements  to  the  Confession  of  Faith  as  I 
understand  you  have  done,  in  your  recent  publication  of 
your  views,  my  brother  will  be  satisfied,  and  peace  can  be 
speedily  reached."  "  Do  you  think  so,  Junkin?"  said  the 
Doctor,  in  his  curt,  emphatic  way.  "I  think  so.  I  have 
not  read  your  book,  nor  has  my  brother,  but  from  repre- 
sentations made  of  it  to  me,  whilst  it  is  not  entirely  such 
as  we  could  wish  it,  we  deem  it  substantially  the  truth ; 
and  if  Mr.  Barnes  will  do  as  much  to  satisfy  his  brethren 


346  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

as  you  have  done,  the  war  may  end."  "  Barnes  must  do 
it — Barnes  will  do  it  !"  After  riding  a  short  time  in 
silence,  the  Doctor  resumed,  "Junkin,  we  must  get  to  the 
City  before  the  Assembly  convenes, — you  must  see  your 
brother  and  his  friends, — I  will  see  Barnes  and  his;  we 
will  have  a  meeting  in  the  Lecture-room  of  Dr.  Herron's 
church,  and  this  trouble  maybe  adjusted."  The  young 
preacher  consented  to  the  proposal — the  horses  were  urged 
to  a  speed  that  was  far  from  comfortable,  the  older  man 
keeping  ahead.  Few  words  were  exchanged  till  the  riders 
reached  the  Monongahela  bridge,  when  the  Doctor  drew 
rein,  and  waited  for  his  travelling  companion  to  come  up, 
and  then  said,  "  Now  we  must  be  quick.  You  see  your 
brother  and  his  friends,  and  we  will  arrange  a  meeting  as 
soon  as  possible."  To  this  the  writer  assented,  rode  rapidly, 
and  did  what  he  could  to  arrange  the  proposed  interview. 
But  Dr.  Beecher  and  Mr.  Barnes  did  not  approach  him,  or 
grant  him  an  interview,  and  the  reason  for  this  has  never 
been  explained  to  this  day.  Some  were  uncharitable  enough 
to  say  at  the  time,  that  the  arrival  of  the  delayed  steam- 
boat, with  some  thirty  or  more  New  School  Commission- 
ers, giving  to  that  party  a  majority  in  the  Assembly,  had 
superseded  the  necessity  of  observing  the  arrangement,  on 
Dr.  Beecher's  part.  The  foregoing  dialogue  is  given  for 
substance :  the  precise  words  may  not  be  remembered,  but 
it  is  substantially  correct. 

Other  matters,  of  the  gravest  importance,  came  before 
the  Assembly  of  1836,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  were 
disposed  of  hastened  the  crisis  of  disruption.  Dr.  Junkin 
was  not  a  commissioner  in  this  Assembly,  and  of  course 
took  no  part  in  its  deliberations  on  these  subjects,  but  he 
was  deeply  interested  for  their  proper  termination. 

A  committee  had  been  appointed,  by  the  Assembly  of 
1835,  to  confer  with  the  Synod  of  Pittsburg,  in  relation  to 
a  transfer  of  the  control  of  the  Western  Foreign  Mission- 


WESTERN  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. 


347 


ary  Society  to  the  General  Assembly,  and  to  adjust  terms 
of  transfer.  This  Committee  reported  that  they  had  per- 
formed the  duty  assigned  them,  that  terms  of  transfer  had 
been  agreed  upon,  and  were  submitted,  with  their  report, 
for  the  action  of  the  Assembly.  These  terms  can  be  seen 
in  the  Minutes,  and  in  Baird's  Digest,  pp.  348,  349. 

This  report  was  referred  to  a  Committee,  of  which  Dr. 
Phillips  was  chairman.  This  Committee  presented  a  lengthy 
report,  tracing  the  history  of  the  negotiation,  showing  that 
the  General  Assembly  had  originated  the  proposal  for  the 
transfer,  and  could  not,  without  bad  faith,  recede ;  setting 
forth  the  duty  of  the  church  to  engage  more  fully  in  For- 
eign Missions,  detailing  the  advantages  of  accepting  the 
generous  terms  of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburg,  and  closing  with 
two  resolutions,  the  first  accepting  of  the  transfer,  and  the 
second  proposing  to  appoint  a  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
the  seat  of  whose  operations  should  be  in  the  city  of  New 
York.*  , 

Dr.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  a  member  of  the  Committee, 
dissented,  and  presented  a  counter  report,  as  follows : 

"Whereas,  The  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions  has  been  connected  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  from  the  year  of  its  incorporation,  by  the  very 
elements  of  its  existence;  whereas,  at  the  present  time,  a 
majority  of  the  whole  Board  are  Presbyterians ;  and  whereas, 
it  is  undesirable,  in  conducting  the  work  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, that  there  should  be  any  collision  at  home  or  abroad  ; 
therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  it  is  inexpedient  that  the  Assembly 
should  organize  a  separate  Foreign  Missionary  Institu- 
tion, "f 

"After  protracted  discussion,  the  previous  question  was 
moved,  and  the  adoption  of  the  report  was  rejected  (106  to 
no),  and  the  Stated  Clerk  ordered  to  inform  the  Western 

*  Minutes,  1836,  p.  253.  f  Ibid.,  p.  257. 


348  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

Foreign  Missionary  Society  that  the  Assembly  had  not 
carried  into  effect  the  stipulations  touching  the  receiving 
of  that  Society  under  their  care."* 

A  Protest  against  this  action  was  presented,  signed  by 
all  of  the  minority  still  in  the  Assembly. 

The  Old  School  looked  upon  this  result  as  part  of  a 
programme  for  subordinating  the  Presbyterian  Church  to 
the  New  England  Boards,  and  to  New  England  Theology. 
It  produced,  immediately,  a  startling  impression  through- 
out the  church.  It  was  well  known,  that  the  fact  mentioned 
in  Dr.  Skinner's  report,  that  a  majority  of  the  members  of 
the  American  Board  were  Presbyterians,  was  fallacious. 
None  but  corporate  members  can  vote,  —  it  is  a  close 
corporation,  filling  its  own  vacancies;  and  whilst  of  its 
eighty-three  members  forty-four  were,  at  that  juncture, 
Presbyterians  in  name,  they  had  been  appointed  members 
of  the  Board,  not  by  the  General  Assembly,  but  by  the 
Board  itself,  and  of  course  were  such  as  the  local  Board 
would  prefer;  and  they  were  widely  scattered  from  Maine 
to  Mississippi,  whilst  the  members  who  resided  in  and  near 
Boston  really  controlled  its  operations. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  the  two  Presbyteries  of  Wil- 
mington and  the  (Assembly's)  Second  of  Philadelphia, 
which  had  been  dissolved  for  contumacy  by  the  Synod  to 
which  they  belonged,  had  nullified  the  order  of  Synod, 
continued  their  existence,  and  sent  up  commissioners  to 
this  Assembly,  who  were  received,  and  that  the  Assembly 
restored  the  Presbyteries. 

The  Old  School  members  of  the  Assembly  held  one  or 
two  meetings  for  consultation,  in  the  Second  Church, 
during  these  exciting  sessions.  These  were  held  after 
open  and  public  notice  had  been  given  on  the  floor  of  the 
Assembly. 

*  Minutes,  1836,  pp.  278,  279. 


CONFERENCES. 


349 


At  Qne  of  these  meetings,  a  Committee,  consisting  of 
Drs.  Phillips,  McElroy,  Potts,  John  Breckenridge,  McFar- 
land,  W.  A.  McDowell,  and  Krebs,  with  Elders  James 
Lenox,  Hugh  Auchincloss,  and  Henry  Rankin,  were  ap- 
pointed to  correspond  and  consult  with  the  orthodox 
brethren  throughout  the  church,  point  out  the  dangers  that 
were  imminent,  and,  if  it  should  be  deemed  expedient, 
call  a  Convention,  preliminary  to  the  next  Assembly. 
Some,  indeed,  were  for  taking  immediate  steps  towards  a 
division,  but  the  measure  just  mentioned  was  fixed  upon  as 
preferable. 

In  speaking  of  this,  Mr.  Gillett,  the  New  School  histo- 
rian of  the  church,  says  : 

"The  appeal  of  Mr.  Barnes  and  the  aggrieved  Presby- 
tery against  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  were  triumphantly 
sustained.  This  was  gall  and  wormwood  to  the  defeated 
party.  Again  they  met,  and,  encouraged  by  their  previous 
experiment,  summoned  a  Convention  to  meet  in  Philadel- 
phia, a  few  days  previous  to  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  in 
1837.  They  had  gone  too  far  to  recede,  and  felt  the  neces- 
sity of  prompt  action  in  order  to  maintain  the  position 
they  had  so  boldly  taken."* 

When  it  is  remembered  that  one  hundred  and  nine  of  the 
wisest,  most  prominent,  most  learned,  and  most  godly  men 
in  the  church,  who  were  among  Mr.  Barnes'  judges,  signed 
a  Protest,  in  which  they  condemned  his  doctrines ;  when 
it  is  considered,  also,  that  these  were  native-born,  pro- 
nounced and  original  Presbyterians,  whilst  those  who  sus- 
tained the  Appeal  and  the  Complaint  were,  for  the  most 
part,  imported  from  other  denominations,  and  that  after  a 
few  years  some  of  them  returned  to  the  connections  whence 
they  had  come;  and  when,  in  addition,  it  is  remembered 
that  the  acquittal  was  the  result  of  a  party  vote,  the  "tri- 
umphant" elements  of  the  result  are  not  so  obvious.     To 

*  Vol.  ii.  p.  492. 

3° 


35o  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

speak  of  that  result  as  being  "gall  and  wormwood' '  to 
such  men  as  Drs.  Miller,  Hoge,  Phillips,  and  McElroy,  is 
certainly  to  use  a  style  of  party  intensity  rather  than  that 
of  sedate  narrative.  In  what  sense  a  defeated  minority 
"had  gone  too  far  to  recede,"  is  not  so  obvious,  for  they 
had  simply  failed  in  vindicating  what  is  now  on  all  hands 
conceded  to  be  the  doctrine  and  order  of  the  church  of 
their  fathers.  No  doubt,  like  Israel  in  captivity,  they  were 
sad;  but  that  "gall  and  wormwood"  is  the  proper  meta- 
phor for  the  feelings  of  godly,  learned,  and  earnest  men, 
when  mourning  over  the  perils  of  the  truth  and  the  dis- 
tractions of  a  once  peaceful  church,  would  be  difficult  to 
prove.  The  Convention  was  not  called  by  the  meeting  of 
the  minority  at  Pittsburg,  but  they  left  it  discretionary  with 
the  Committee  above  named. 

When  his  duties  at  Pittsburg  were  ended,  Dr.  Junkin 
returned  to  Easton,  to  the  arduous  toils  of  the  College 
enterprise,  to  which  he  added,  during  this  year,  an  impor- 
tant literary  undertaking. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

Results  of  the  Barnes  Trial — His  Plea  characterized — Its  Influence  upon 
Theological  Opinion — Upon  Students  and  Ministers — New  Theology  has 
made  no  Progress  since — Its  Effect  upon  the  New  School  Body — It  was 
an  Original  Cause  of  the  Reunion,  and  of  the  Advanced  Efficiency  of 
the  Church — Work  of  the  Committee  of  Correspondence — Circular 
Letter — The  Address — Delegation  to  Princeton — Conference — J.  W. 
Alexander — Purpose  to  found  a  New  Seminary — Robert  Lenox,  Esq. — 
Union  Seminary  founded — Its  Origin  and  Aims — Call  of  a  Convention — 
It  meets — Its  Doings — Memorial  and  Testimony — Dr.  Breckenridge  its 
Author — Assembly  of  1837 — Old  School  Majority — Its  Men — Its  Debates 
— Its  Doings — Sketches  of  its  Prominent  Speakers — Abrogation  of  Plan  of 
Union — Various  Proposals  for  Division — All  rejected — Incidents  of  De- 
bate— Final  Measures. 

THE  results  of  Dr.  Junkin's  arduous  and  self-denying 
labors  in  the  Barnes  trials  can  never  be  fully  estimated ; 
and  yet  a  biography  of  him  would  be  incomplete,  and  fail 
to  do  justice  to  his  memory,  if  no  indication  of  those  results 
should  'be  attempted.  His  argument,  as  presented  to  the 
Presbytery,  to  the  Synod,  and  ultimately  to  the  General 
Assembly,  has  been  pronounced  by  many  of  the  most 
astute  and  scholarly  minds  of  his  generation  one  of  the 
most  full,  well-ordered,  and  demonstrative  that  had  ever 
been  constructed  upon  the  points  involved.  Dr.  Ely,  in 
his  "Contrast,"  had  done  a  good  work,  in  presenting  the 
antagonisms  of  Hopkinsianism  to  the  Calvinism  of  our 
Standards;  and  Dr.  Joshua  L.  Wilson  had  drawn  from  Dr. 
Beecher  very  important  concessions  in  the  direction  of 
orthodoxy ;  concessions  that  greatly  crippled  and  tram- 
melled divines  of  his  own  school  in  their  subsequent  war 
upon  old  Calvinism.     But  Dr.  Junkin's  argument  set  the 

(350 


352  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

two  systems  side  by  side  in  such  distinct  detail,  and  threw 
upon  each  such  a  flood  of  Scripture  light  and  perspicuous 
logic,  as  enabled  all  minds  of  ordinary  power  of  discrimi- 
nation to  see  the  contrast  between  them.  Possessing,  as 
he  did,  extraordinary  powers  of  analysis  and  synthesis ; 
keen  in  detecting  the  most  plausible  sophisms ;  looking  to 
particulars  and  details  with  a  microscopic  exactness,  yet 
grasping  them  all  in  their  relations  as  components  of  a  sys- 
tem with  wondrous  constructive  skill,  he  was  successful  in 
setting  forth  the  system  of  doctrine  contained  in  our  Stand- 
ards with  a  boldness  of  relief,  a  distinctness  of  outline, 
and  a  symmetry  of  proportion  which  the  logical  mind  con- 
templates with  delight.  With  similar  skill  and  power  he 
arrayed  the  opposing  errors,  pointed  out  their  relations, 
and  showed  their  dangerous  tendencies.  We  know  that 
some  who  came  to  the  Assembly  of  1836  strongly  biassed 
in  favor  of  the  New  Theology,  lived  to  become  thorough 
advocates  of  the  Old,  and  to  ascribe  the  change  in  part  to 
his  argument.  And  would  it  be  claiming  too  much  to 
express  the  belief,  that  the  extraordinary  explicitness  and 
ardor  with  which  the  majority  of  that  Assembly  declared 
their  loyalty  to  the  Standards  of  the  church  may  have  been 
attributable,  in  a  measure,  to  the  clearness  and  force  with 
which  those  Standards  were  defended  ?  It  is  true,  some 
writers  have  ascribed  those  expressions  of  fealty  to  less 
worthy  motives,  and  supposed  that  they  were  dictated  by 
party  policy  ;  but  we  ought  always  to  impute  the  best  mo- 
tives. Certain  it  is,  that  the  abettors  of  the  New  Divinity 
acknowledged  the  force  of  Dr.  Junkin's  plea  for  orthodoxy 
confessing  it  to  be  the  clearest  argument  then  produced  on 
his  side  of  the  question. 

Besides  the  influence  which  it  had  upon  the  minds  of 
those  who  heard  it,  it  was  read  by  many  thousands  of  the 
best  minds  of  the  country,  and  as  the  students  of  theology 
were  strongly  interested  in  the  discussions  of  that  period, 


NEW  THEOLOGY  HAS  MADE  NO  PROGRESS.      353 

it  was  much  consulted  by  them,  and  accomplished  great 
good  in  assisting  them  to  form  clear  and  discriminating 
views.  It  aroused  many  of  the  ministers  of  our  church  to 
a  fuller  investigation  of  the  points  in  controversy,  and 
proved  a  valuable  contribution  to  Polemic  and  Practical 
Theology.  A  perusal  of  his  argument,  it  is  thought,  will 
do  much  to  convince  the  mind  of  any  candid  reader,  that 
the  great  truths  which  it  defends,  are  of  the  utmost  practi- 
cal importance,  and  that  belief  in  them  must  form  the 
basis  of  all  true  and  thorough  piety. 

It  is  now  also  matter  of  history,  that  ever  since  the  conflict 
at  Pittsburg,  in  the  Barnes  trial,  the  tide  of  the  New  The- 
ology, which  at  one  time  threatened  to  overflow  the  Pres- 
byterian Churches,  has  been  ebbing.  As  we  have  seen,  the 
New  School  majority  of  that  Assembly,  in  their  answer  to 
the  Protest  of  the  orthodox,  committed  themselves,  in  the 
most  explicit  terms,  to  a  "cordial  and  ex  animo"  adoption 
of  the  Confession  of  our  church,  "on  the  points  of  doc- 
trine in  question,  according  to  the  obvious  and  most  pre- 
valent interpretation."  That  pledge  was  the  result  either 
of  honest  conviction,  or  of  the  force  of  circumstances,  or 
of  both.  And  from  the  hour  in  which  it  was  recorded, 
that  pledge  has  operated  with  a  centripetal  force,  drawing 
the  great  body  of  the  New  School  in  the  direction  of  the 
"  Standards,  pure  and  simple."  This  proclivity  in  a  right 
direction  was  accelerated  by  the  disruption  of  1838,  and 
the  necessities  growing  out  of  their  claim  to  be  the  true 
constitutional  church.  In  order  to  maintain  that  claim, 
adherence  to  the  doctrine  and  order  of  the  Standards 
became  a  logical  and  legal  necessity,  especially  after  the 
Lawsuit  was  instituted.  And,  as  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  a  large  proportion  of  that  party  were  really  sound 
in  doctrine,  and  were  found  in  its  ranks  from  sympathy 
and  the  force  of  circumstances,  the  pledge  and  the  neces- 
sities above  mentioned  gave  to  that  portion  a  power  over 

30* 


354  LIFE    0F  DR-   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

the  whole  body,  to  draw  it  in  the  direction  of  sound 
Presbyterianism. 

Now,  to  the  prosecution  of  Mr.  Barnes,  and  the  thor- 
oughness with  which  it  was  conducted,  is  to  be  attributed, 
in  a  large  degree,  the  rousing  of  the  Old  School  to  a  sense 
of  the  danger  of  the  church,  and  the  necessity  of  reform ; 
and  it  was  that  prosecution,  and  the  incidents  insepar- 
able from  it,  which  called  forth  the  pledge,  and  brought 
about  the  state  of  things  which  operated  so  happily, 
in  causing  the  New  School  ranks  to  oblique  to  the  right, 
until,  in  the  march  of  thirty  years,  the  columns  of  the  two 
hosts  were  found  advancing  in  parallel  lines.  Indeed,  so 
inevitable  was  this  tendency,  under  the  forces  just  indicated, 
that,  in  less  than  fourteen  years  after  the  disruption,  our 
New  School  brethren  were  found  battling  with  the  same 
breezes  of  Congregational  voluntaryism  to  which  we  had 
attributed  the  raising  of  the  waves  of  trouble  previous  to 
that  disruption.  Nor  did  this  virtuous  conflict  cease,  until 
many  of  the  men  and  many  of  the  methods  which  had 
troubled  us,  were  eliminated  from  the  other  Branch,  leaving 
them  a  homogeneous,  effective,  and  thoroughly  Presby- 
terian body.  If  "all  things  work  together  (co-operate) 
for  good  to  them  that  love  God,"  if  He  causes  "the 
wrath  of  man  to  praise  Him,  and  restraineth  the  remainder 
of  wrath,"  and  if  He 

"  From  seeming  evil  still  educes  good," 

may  we  not,  after  all,  have  reason  to  bless  the  great  Head 
of  the  Church,  that  He  has  graciously  overruled  the  storms 
of  the  past,  so  as  to  effect  greater  ptirity,  and  secure  more 
perfect  and  abiding  peace,  to  our  Zion  ?  It  seems  scarcely 
possible,  for  the  candid  and  sagacious  philosopher  of  his- 
tory, to  avoid  the  conclusion,  that  the  Great  Controller  of 
events,  who  is  "  Head  over  all  things  to  the  Church,"  did 
employ  the  very  process,  which   it   has  been   our  painful 


EFFECT  UPON   THE    CHURCH. 


355 


duty  to  sketch  upon  these  pages,  for  the  grand  purpose  of 
removing  evils,  and  averting  dangers,  which  good  men  were 
slow  to  believe  existed,  and  of  bringing  about  a  more 
blessed  condition  of  the  great  Presbyterian  Church  in  this 
land.  There  was  doubtless  much  of  human  frailty  and 
passion  exhibited  on  both  sides,  in  the  progress  of  the 
struggle,  whilst  there  was  also  much  of  Christian  zeal,  and 
meekness,  magnanimity,  faithfulness,  and  heroism.  Intel- 
lectual ability  of  the  highest  order  was  exhibited,  and 
whilst  it  was  sad  to  behold  brethren  arrayed  against  each 
other  in  stern  conflict,  the  very  earnestness  which  they 
displayed  was  proof  of  the  depth  of  their  convictions,  and 
of  the  high  estimate  they  placed  upon  the  great  principles 
of  religion  for  which  they  contended. 

Again  :  Can  it  be  reasonably  supposed  that,  if  the  prose- 
cution of  Mr.  Barnes  had  not  been  conducted  with  ability, 
Christian  meekness,  and  firmness,  the  Presbyterian  Church 
would  have  been,  at  this  day,  the  large,  sound,  homogeneous, 
and  effective  body  which  she  is  ?  Had  the  Plan  of  Union 
been  maintained  ;  had  the  Domestic  missions  of  the  church 
been  consigned  to  the  voluntary  Society  which  aspired  to 
control  them ;  had  the  New  Theology,  through  that  irre- 
sponsible but  efficient  agency,  been  shed,  like  the  leaves 
of  autumn,  over  her  congregations ;  had  she  been  content 
to  remain  an  auxiliary  to  the  American  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions;  had  she  surrendered,  to  a  Society  beyond  her 
surveillance  and  control,  the  education  of  her  ministers ; 
had  she  yielded  the  right  of  examination,  and  compelled 
her  Presbyteries  to  admit  all  intrants  who  came  with  clear 
credentials ;  and  had  she  completed  the  system  of  disor- 
ganization and  dependence,  by  declaring  her  Standards  so 
plastic  and  so  elastic  as  to  admit  of  any  construction,  and 
her  government  and  discipline,  however  excellent,  was  never 
to  be  enforced  to  the  exclusion  of  error ;  would  she  have 
been  the  church  which  we  this  day  behold  and  venerate  ? 


356  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

The  storm  seems  terrible,  but  it  clears  the  skies,  exhausts 
the  clouds,  purifies  the  air,  and  brings  out  the  sun  in  fuller 
splendor. 

In  addition  to  the  benefits  resulting  from  Dr.  Junkin's 
agency  in  conducting  the  doctrinal  struggle  to  an  issue,  the 
influence  it  had  in  bringing  the  entire  body  of  the  Old 
School  into  line  at  the  alarming  crisis  now  reached  is 
worthy  of  mention.  Many  good  and  sound  men  were 
reluctant  to  believe  that  the  errors  charged  upon  Mr. 
Barnes  were  so  wide-spread,  or  that  there  could  be  found 
so  many  in  the  church  willing  to  tolerate  them.  Proof, 
such  as  the  acquittal  of  Mr.  Barnes  and  the  circumstances 
attending  it,  was  needed,  to  convince  these  excellent  breth- 
ren of  the  real  state  of  things.  And  although  some  of 
them  were  slow  to  adopt  decisive  measures,  they  no  longer 
acted  with  the  innovating  party.  In  all  his  reasonings 
and  pleadings  upon  the  doctrinal  issues,  Dr.  Junkin  kept 
his  eye  upon  the  other  phases  of  the  great  controversy. 
"  Unity  in  the  truth,  in  order  to  evangelical  efficiency," 
was  his  great  aim.  He  often  uttered  the  sentiment,  that 
it  was  the  great  mission  of  the  church  to  send  the  gospel 
to  all  the  world.  This  he  believed  she  could  do  effi- 
ciently only  by  being  herself  a  Missionary  society.  He 
believed  that  the  new  and  "other  gospel"  of  the  semi- 
Pelagian  system,  was  not  worth  sending  to  the  heathen, 
or  preaching  at  home,  and  that  its  introduction  into  the 
Presbyterian  Church  had  occasioned  all  the  divisions  and 
distractions  which  prevented  her  from  accomplishing  her 
mission,  at  home  and  abroad ;  hence  he  was  earnestly 
anxious  to  eliminate  error  as  a  means  of  restoring  peace 
and  unity,  and  of  fitting  the  church  for  her  great  work. 
At  this  he  aimed,  and  the  just  and  candid  verdict  of  pos- 
terity will  aver  that  he  did  not  labor  in  vain  !  If  he  had 
done  nothing  else  for  his  generation,  and  the  church  of 
his  choice,  he  did  not  live  for  naught. 


COMMITTEE    OF  CORRESPONDENCE. 


357 


The  Committee  of  Correspondence,  appointed  by  the 
minority  of  the  Assembly  of  1836,  entered  with  prompt- 
ness upon  the  delicate  and  important  duties  assigned  them, 
and  performed  them  with  much  wisdom  and  ability. 
Shortly  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Assembly  they  pre- 
pared a  letter,  caused  it  to  be  lithographed,  and  sent  it  to 
prominent  office-bearers  in  all  parts  of  the  church.  In  this 
letter  they  proposed  certain  questions,  in  regard  to  the 
present  state  and  future  prospects  of  the  church,  and  re- 
quested explicit  answers,  with  a  view  to  collect  facts  and 
opinions.  They  set  forth  the  recent  history  of  the  struggle, 
and  quoted  the  declaration  of  leading  New  School  men  in 
the  last  Assembly,  as  indicating  revolutionary  designs. 
They  also  presented  a  critical  and  just  exposition  of  the 
errors  which  they  believed  had  been  proven  against  Mr. 
Barnes  in  the  trial,  "  so  faithfully  and  laboriously  conducted 
by  Dr.  Junkin,"  bore  testimony  to  the  Christian  spirit  with 
which  it  was  conducted,  and  appealed  to  their  brethren  to 
do  for  the  preservation  of  the  church  of  their  fathers,  what- 
ever a  good  conscience  might  in  the  sight  of  God  demand. 

Some  have,  at  different  times,  and  especially  in  late 
years,  attempted  to  deny  that  the  schism  of  1838  was  really 
the  result  of  doctrinal  diversity.  But  that  it  was  so,  is 
proven  by  the  whole  history  of  the  controversy,  and  es- 
pecially by  the  testimony  of  this  able  document  of  the 
Committee  of  Correspondence.  Their  cttief  aim,  in  this 
circular,  was  to  point  out  the  serious  and  fundamental 
errors  which  were  spreading,  and  which  the  votes  of  the  last 
General  Assembly  had  declared  should  be  tolerated  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  And,  in  their  seventh  inquiry,  they 
indicated  the  source  whence  chiefly  they  supposed  these 
errors  to  flow, — connection  with  the  churches  and  voluntary 
societies  of  the  Congregationalists. 

Of  course  this  circular  called  forth  from  the  other  party 
strong  expressions  of  indignation.     It  was  denounced  as  a 


358  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

secret  conspiracy  to  divide  the  church,  and  by  other  op- 
probrious names.  But  the  men  whose  names  were  appended 
to  it,  were  of  too  high  character  to  be  very  success- 
fully charged  with  such  designs.  They  were  pure,  grave, 
godly,  wise,  dispassionate,  and  intelligent  men, — men  who 
occupied  the  highest  social  and  official  positions  in  the 
church,  and  who  commanded  respect  throughout  the  na- 
tion. Their  circular  accomplished  its  purpose,  and  was 
blessed  of  God  as  the  means  of  calling  forth  the  strength 
of  the  church  to  the  rescue  of  the  truth. 

The  Committee,  after  obtaining  a  vast  amount  of  in- 
formation in  reply  to  this  circular,  published,  in  a  pamphlet 
of  forty-one  pages,  "An  Address  to  the  Ministers,  Elders, 
and  Members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church."  In  this  they 
set  forth  the  necessity  of  purity  of  faith  as  an  element  in- 
dispensable to  the  efficiency  of  the  church  ;  the  necessity 
of  a  sincere  and  honest  adoption  of  the  Confession,  in  order 
to  doctrinal  purity;  and  the  danger  of  subscription  "for 
substance  of  doctrine." 

They  reviewed  the  case  of  Mr.  Barnes,  and  the  decisions 
of  the  Assembly  therein,  and  upon  the  questions  of  Missions 
and  Education,  and  dwelt  with  particular  force  upon  the 
repudiation  of  the  treaty  which  the  previous  Assembly  had 
solemnly  authorized  with  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary 
Society.  From  the  whole  survey  they  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion expressed  in  the  following  paragraph: 

"  Fathers,  brethren,  and  fellow-Christians,  whatever  else 
is  dark,  this  is  clear, —  We  cannot  continue  in  the  same  body 
We  are  not  agreed,  and  it  is  vain  to  attempt  to  walk  to- 
gether. That  those,  whom  we  regard  as  the  authors  of 
our  present  distractions,  will  retrace  their  steps,  is  not  to 
be  expected  ;  and  that  those  who  have  hitherto  rallied 
around  the  Standards  of  our  church,  will  continue  to  do  so, 
is  both  to  be  expected  and  desired.  In  some  way  or  other, 
therefore,  these  men  must  be  separated  from  us." 

Thus   was    foreshadowed   a  result,   which  was   realized 


PRINCETON  PROFESSORS. 


359 


within  the  next  two  years.  But  this  Committee  did  not 
indicate  the  process. 

It  was  deemed  of  great  importance  that  all  the  orthodox 
should  be  brought  to  hearty  co-operation  in  the  same  pro- 
cesses of  reform.  Hitherto  their  opponents  were  a  unit  in 
action,  while  some  of  the  best  men  of  the  Old  School 
party  hesitated  to  go  with  the  majority  in  the  measures 
which  that  majority  deemed  right  and  wise.  Sometimes, 
indeed,  as  in  the  Barnes  trial,  thoroughly  orthodox  men 
voted  with  the  New  School,  although  they  acknowledged, 
as  we  have  shown,  by  their  own  signatures,  that  funda- 
mental errors  had  been  proven.  The  position  occupied  by 
the  Princeton  Professors,  who  justly  had  great  influence 
with  their  former  pupils,  was  of  an  intermediate  character, 
and  many  went  with  them.  It  was  deemed  of  great  impor- 
tance to  induce  them  to  take  a  stand  with  the  majority  of 
their  brethren.  It  was  known  that  they  as  fully  deplored 
the  action  of  the  Assembly  of  1836  as  the  Old  School 
minority  of  that  body ;  but  they  faltered  with  regard  to 
methods  of  averting  the  evils  deplored. 

With  the  hope  of  removing  their  scruples,  "a  company 
of  gentlemen  were  designated,  by  a  large  and  respectable 
number  of  the  Old  School,  to  proceed  in  a  noiseless  and 
unobserved  manner  to  wait  upon  the  Professors  at  their 
homes,  to  reason  and  remonstrate  with  them  on  the  subject 
of  their  position,  and  to  induce  them,  if  possible,  to  con- 
cur with  their  brethren  in  the  public  action  of  the  church. 
These  gentlemen  assembled  at  Princeton  in  the  autumn  of 
1836,  and  met  the  Professors  in  Dr.  Hodge's  study,  whither 
they  had  been  invited  to  repair.  At  this  conference  the 
three  Professors  of  the  Seminary  attended,  and  the  Rev. 
James  W.  Alexander  was  also  present.  The  following 
members  of  the  Old  School  deputation  were  in  attendance : 
Rev.  Drs.  James  Blythe,  of  Indiana ;  C.  C.  Cuyler,  of 
Philadelphia;  George   Junkin,  of  Easton ;    W.  W.  Phil- 


360  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

lips,  of  New  York ;  and  Rev.  Isaac  V.  Brown,  of  New 
Jersey."* 

This  conference  did  not  result  in  any  decisive  action 
or  promise  of  action  at  the  time ;  but  there  is  reason  to 
believe  that  its  influence  tended  to  secure  the  ultimate 
co-operation  of  Princeton  with  the  rest  of  the  Old  School 
party.  Dr.  James  W.  Alexander,  then  comparatively  a 
young  man,  is  represented  by  Mr.  Brown  as  having  made 
some  remarks  at  this  interview  "in  a  very  unassuming  and 
respectful  manner"  which  seemed  to  produce  a  deep  im- 
pression, and  a  tendency  in  a  right  direction.  There'was 
evidently  some  approximation  towards  less  divided  counsels. 

Mr.  Brown  mentions  in  his  book,  "The  Old  School 
Vindicated,"  a  fact  illustrative  both  of  the  strong  appre- 
hensions of  men's  minds  at  that  period,  and  of  the  critical 
condition  in  which  our  oldest  Seminary  was  placed,  by 
what  many  considered  a  lack  of  decision  on  the  part  of  its 
Professors: 

"In  a  neighboring  city  lived  a  rich,  intelligent,  and 
very  devoted  elder  of  the  Old  School  body,  of  Scotch 
education  and  type  of  religion.  His  zeal  for  the  church 
and  her  doctrines  was  strong.  In  common  with  others,  he 
was  apprehensive  that  the  church,  through  the  indefatiga- 
ble and  unscrupulous  action  of  the  New  School,  and  the 
unhappy  defection  of  Princeton,  would,  in  a  short  time,  be 
entirely  under  New  School  control.  .  .  .  He  was  conse- 
quently very  solicitous  that  this  delegation  to  Princeton 
should  ascertain  whether  the  theological  gentlemen  at 
Princeton,  who  had  opposed  the  Act  and  Testimony,  were 
determined  to  persist  in  their  course.  Unless  some  favor- 
able indications  should  be  given,  he,  and  others  like- 
minded,  had  resolved  to  abandon  Princeton  to  the  control 
of  the  adversaries,  and  immediately  establish  another 
Seminary  on  a  basis  entirely  out  of  their  reach.  For  this 
purpose  the  money  was  already  in  bank ;  a  beautiful  site, 
with  appropriate  grounds  and  edifices,  was  selected;  the 

*  Brown's  Historical  Vindication,  p.  175. 


UNION  SEMINARY.  361 

principal  officers  for  the  institution  were  designated  from 
among  the  most  prominent  in  our  church,  and  ever)  thing 
was  ready  for  action.  But  the  delegates  did  not,  on  the 
whole,  consider  the  condition  of  the  Seminary  at  Prince- 
ton, exposed  as  it  was,  sufficiently  desperate  to  warrant  so 
great  a  sacrifice,  and  so  decisive  a  change,  at  that  time; 
and  the  friends  in  New  York  cordially  acquiesced."* 

Of  course  (although  Mr.  Brown  does  not  say  so)  nothing 
of  this  was  known  at  the  time  to  the  gentlemen  at  Prince- 
ton. No  doubt  pains  were  taken  to  avoid  anything  that 
would  look  like  an  in  terrorem.  The  Elder  alluded  to  was 
Robert  Lenox,  Esq.,  the  father  of  James  Lenox,  Esq.,  than 
whom  no  more  faithful  ruling  elder,  wise  counsellor,  liberal 
benefactor,  or  eminent  philanthropist  has  been  vouch- 
safed to  our  church  by  a  kind  Providence.  Although  the 
Committee  of  Conference  left  Princeton  somewhat  dis- 
couraged, yet  subsequent  events  afforded  evidence  that 
their  visit  had  not  been  in  vain.  The  Presbytery  of  New 
Brunswick,  to  which  the  Professors  belonged,  and  which 
had  hitherto  maintained  an  attitude  of  non-co-operation 
with  the  Old  School  majority,  shortly  afterwards  took  more 
decisive  conservative  ground  ;  and  the  venerable  Dr.  Alex- 
ander, who  represented  that  Presbytery,  in  part,  in  the 
next  General  Assembly,  was  forward  and  decisive  in  pro- 
posing and  securing  the  adoption  of  measures  which  caused 
the  triumph  of  truth  and  order. 

About  the  same  time  that  this  delegation  of  gentlemen 
visited  Princeton,  another  event  occurred  which  was  part 
of  the  programme  of  the  party  of  innovation,  and  which 
gave  evidence  that  they  were  not  satisfied  with  the  theology 
taught  at  the  Seminary  at  Princeton.  This  was  nothing 
less  than  the  establishment  of  another  Theological  Semi- 
nary, within  two  hours'  ride  of  Princeton,  viz.,  in  the  City 
of  New  York.     Mr.  Gillett   says  it  was  projected  a  year 

*  The  Old  School  Vindicated,  p.  176. 
31 


362  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

before  (1835),  founded  in  January,  1836,  and  went  into 
operation  December  5,  1836.*  The  same  writer  informs 
us  that  one  of  the  considerations  which  led  to  this  project 
was,  to  have  a  Seminary  beyond  the  control  of  the  General 
Assembly.     His  language  is  : 

"It  was  felt,  moreover,  that,  sustained  by  the  patronage 
and  confidence  of  the  pastors  and  churches  of  New  York, 
and  those  that  sympathized  with  them  throughout  the 
church,  the  proposed  institution  might  be  competently 
endowed,  ably  officered,  and  well  sustained.  It  would  at 
least,  in  the  hands  of  directors  independent  of  the  Assem- 
bly, remain  under  the  control  of  men  who  would  promote 
its  interests  without  reference  to  an  accidental  majority  in 
the  Assembly,  "f 

This  movement  was,  no 'doubt,  the  result  of  the  counsels 
of  men  of  a  higher  tone  of  Christian  honor  than  some  of 
their  brethren, — men  whose  sense  of  propriety  shrunk  from 
the  proposal  that  had  been  suggested  at  Pittsburg,  to  seize 
upon  Princeton  and  revolutionize  its  teachings.  Such  men 
as  Drs.  Erskine  Mason,  and  Henry  White, \  and  Thomas 
H.  Skinner,  and  Ichabod  S.  Spencer,  and  the  laymen  of 
high-toned  principle  who  were  associated  with  them,  how- 
ever zealous  they  might  be  for  their  opinions,  would  not 
consent  to  pervert  an  institution  and  its  funds  from  the 
purposes  to  which  they  had  been  devoted.  They  wished  for 
an  institution  in  which  the  modified  Calvinism,  which  some 
of  them  favored,  should  be  taught  without  the  restraints 
which  the  Old  School  seemed  determined  to  impose;  but 
they  were  too  honorable  and  fair-minded  to  repeat  the 
history  of  Harvard,  even  in  the  slightest  measure,  and  seize 
upon  an  institution  consecrated  to  other  ends. 

The  founding  of  this  Seminary,  however,  was  a  confession 


*  History,  vol.  ii.  pp.  501,  502. 

f  Gillett's  History,  vol.  ii.  p.  501. 

J  Drs.  Mason  and  White  were  sound  Calvinists. 


CONVENTION  PROPOSED.  363 

that  the  New  School  Theology  did  differ  from  that  taught 
at  Princeton,  to  such  an  extent  as  to  justify  the  cost  of 
money  and  men  which  would  be  necessary  to  establish  an- 
other school  in  the  vicinity  of  that  institution  of  the  church. 
This  was  rather  a  contradiction  of  the  loyal  declarations 
made  in  the  answer  to  the  protest  in  the  Barnes  case.  The 
fact  that  the  Union  Seminary  was  projected  in  1835,  and 
not  put  in  operation  until  the  close  of  the  following  year, 
renders  it  probable  that  the  delay  was  occasioned  by  a 
waiting  upon  the  developing  of  events. 

The  Committee  of  Correspondence,  whose  labors  have 
been  mentioned  above,  invited  the  members  of  the  Assem- 
bly of  1837  to  convene  for  consultation  a  week  before  its 
meeting.  The  call  for  this  conference  was  issued  on  the 
1 2th  of  January.  It  stated  that  the  result  of  their  extensive 
correspondence  had  produced  the  conviction,  that  a  very 
general  desire  prevailed  among  the  conservative  portion  of 
the  church  to  have  the  agitating  contentions  ended,  "by 
removing  the  causes  in  which  they  originated."  And  they 
recommended  that  the  day  upon  which  the  Convention 
was  to  assemble  in  Philadelphia — the  second  Thursday  of 
May — should  be  observed  as  a  day  of  fasting,  humiliation, 
and  prayer  throughout  the  churches.  The  call  was  pub- 
lished in  all  the  conservative  papers,  and  the  opposite 
party  had  full  warning  of  the  earnest  efforts  that  were  to 
be  made. 

Meanwhile  there  was  a  very  general  expression  of  opin- 
ion that  something  decisive  must  be  done.  The  Princeton 
Review  raised  its  voice  in  warning  against  the  "  imminent 
dangers  of  the  church."  Dr.  Miller,  Dr.  McFarland,  Dr. 
John  Breckenridge,  at  that  time  a  Professor  in  Princeton 
Seminary,  and  others,  known  hitherto  to  be  men  of  mild 
counsels,  wrote  effective  appeals  to  the  ministers,  elders, 
and  people  of  the  church,  and  every  indication  pointed  to 
a  unity  of  counsels   not   previously  attained.      The  Old 


364  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

School,  who  had  hitherto  been  excelled  in  ecclesiastica: 
tactics,  who  had,  indeed,  seemed  to  shrink  from  even  the 
most  obviously  necessary  means  for  concentrating  their 
forces,  now  began  to  imitate  the  example  of  their  oppo- 
nents, so  far  as  to  arouse  the  interest  of  their  friends,  and 
gather  their  forces  to  the  conflict.  The  consequence  was 
that  the  delegations  from  Old  School  Presbyteries  were 
fuller,  the  eldership  came  up  in  force,  and  pains  seem  to 
have  been  taken  to  send  as  Commissioners  men  of  power, 
influence,  and  distinction.  This  was  the  case,  indeed,  on 
both  sides,  and  the  result  was  that  rarely  has  there  been  as- 
sembled in  our  country,  either  in  a  civil  or  ecclesiastical 
body,  such  a  number  of  men  eminent  for  talent,  wisdom, 
experience,  and  social  position  and  influence  as  the  Gene- 
ral Assembly  of  1837.  "The  parties  into  which  the  As- 
sembly was  divided,"  says  Mr.  Gillett,  "were  ably  repre- 
sented. On  one  side  were  the  Rev.  Drs.  Green,  Elliott, 
A.  Alexander,  Junkin,  Baxter,  Cuyler,  Graham,  and  With- 
erspoon,  and  Messrs.  R.  J.  Breckenridge,  Plumer,  Murray, 
and  others.  On  the  other  side  were  Drs.  Beman,  Porter, 
of  Catskill,  McAuley,  Peters,  and  Cleland,  and  Rev. 
Messrs.  Duffield,  Gilbert,  Cleveland,  Dickinson,  and  Judge 
Jessup." 

The  Convention  met  on  the  nth  of  May.  Rev.  James 
Blythe,  D.D.,  was  temporary  Chairman,  and  Rev.  Thomas 
D.  Baird  temporary  Clerk.  The  entire  day  was  devoted  to 
humiliation  and  prayer.  Next  day  they  organized  fully  by 
appointing  Dr.  George  A.  Baxter,  of  Va.,  President,  Dr. 
C.  C.  Cuyler,  Vice-President,  Rev.  T.  D.  Baird,  Recording 
Clerk,  and  Rev.  H.  S.  Pratt,  Reader.  The  Convention 
first  brought  before  it  all  the  facts  relating  to  the  con- 
dition of  the  church,  by  calling  the  roll,  and  asking  every 
member  to  state  what  fell  within  his  own  knowledge.  This 
array  of  facts  left  the  most  skeptical  of  the  doubting 
brethren  without  excuse  for  longer  denying  the  existence 


MEETING    OF   THE    CONVENTION.  365 

of  the  disorders  of  which  the  Old  School  had  for  years 
complained. 

A  Committee  was  appointed  to  prepare,  from  the  facts 
thus  elicited  and  their  own  knowledge  of  the  history  and 
state  of  these  troubles,  a  Testimony  and  Memorial,  to  be 
laid  before  the  Assembly.  Dr.  Robert  J.  Breckenridge  was 
Chairman  of  the  Committee,  and  Dr.  Potts,  Dr.  Smyth, 
of  Charleston,  Judge  Ewing,  and  Hon.  David  Fullerton, 
members.  The  paper  was  such  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected from  the  pen  of  that  vigorous  thinker  who  was  at 
the  head  of  the  Committee.  It  was  an  earnest,  solemn, 
calm,  logical,  and  determined  document,  lucidly  array- 
ing the  facts  of  the  great  struggle,  pointing  out  the  evils 
under  which  the  church  had  been  groaning,  vindicating 
the  measures  which  the  Old  School  party  had  hitherto 
adopted,  and  insisting  that  the  evils  complained  of  must 
be  remedied  without  further  delay.  Like  the  Memorial  of 
the  Pittsburg  Convention,  it  enumerated  the  errors  in 
doctrine  against  which  it  bore  testimony,  and  protested 
against  permitting  the  church  any  longer  to  be  held  in 
bonds  by  the  Voluntary  Societies.  "We  contend  es- 
pecially, and  above  all,  for  the  truth,  as  it  is  made  known 
to  us  for  the  salvation  of  men.  We  contend  for  nothing 
else,  except  as  the  result  or  the  support  of  this  inestimable 
treasure.  It  is  because  this  is  subverted  that  we  grieve  ;  it 
is  because  our  Standards  teach  it  that  we  bewail  their  per- 
version ;  it  is  because  our  church  order  and  discipline 
preserve,  defend,  and  diffuse  it  that  we  weep  over  their 
impending  ruin." 

The  Memorial  asked  for  the  abrogation  of  the  Plan  of 
Union,  the  discountenancing  of  the  Voluntary  Societies, 
the  separation  from  the  church  of  all  inferior  courts  not 
Presbyterially  organized,  the  enforcement  of  the  duty  of 
examining  intrants,  the  due  discipline  of  errorists,  and  of 
courts  that  tolerate  them,  and  the  adoption  of  appropriate 

31* 


366  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

measures,  so  "  that  such  of  these  bodies  as  are  believed  to 
consist  chiefly  of  unsound  or  disorderly  members  may  be 
separated  from  the  church."* 

This  Memorial  was  signed  by  the  officers  of  the  Conven- 
tion, and  presented  to  the  Assembly  in  its  name. 

The  Assembly  met  in  the  Central,  but  on  Monday  re- 
moved to  the  Seventh  Church. 

The  Old  School  had,  at  the  opening,  a  majority  of  thirty- 
one,  as  was  indicated  by  the  election  of  Dr.  David  Elliott, 
Moderator,  over  the  Rev.  Baxter  Dickinson.  This  majority 
was  increased  by  subsequent  arrivals.  The  Memorial  was 
presented  on  the  second  day  of  the  sessions,  and  referred 
of  course  to  the  Committee  of  Overtures,  who,  next  day, 
reported  it  to  the  Assembly,  and  it  was  again  referred 
to  a  Committee,  consisting  of  Drs.  Archibald  Alexander, 
Plumer,  Green,  Baxter,  and  Leland,  with  Elders  Walter 
Lowrie  and  James  Lenox. f 

The  doctrinal  testimony  was  first  reported  to  the  house, 
and,  after  a  long  discussion  and  no  little  parliamentary 
manoeuvring,  temporarily  postponed.  This  was  the  great 
issue  upon  which  hung  all  other  parts  of  the  contest ;  and 
the  New  School  leaders  sought  to  render  the  testimony 
absurd  and  useless,  by  moving  many  additions  to  it  of 
matters  about  which  there  was  no  dispute — the  process,  in 
secular  legislation,  called  "putting  on  riders." 

The  other  points  of  the  Memorial  were  reported  from 
time  to  time,  discussed,  and  adopted.  Resolutions  pro- 
posing to  continue  fraternal  correspondence  with  the  Con- 
gregational churches,  and  to  abrogate  the  Plan  of  Union, 
were  introduced.  Upon  the  latter  proposal  warm  dis- 
cussion ensued.  The  writer  of  this  memoir  heard  this 
debate,  and  the  others  which  took  place  in  that  General 
Assembly,  and    he   was    impressed  with  the   ability   and 

*  Baird's  Hist.,  p.  522.  f  Ibid.,  p.  523. 


PROMINENT  MEN.  367 

earnestness  displayed  upon  both  sides.  Men  of  power 
were  there,  and  their  powers  were  called  forth,  in  highest 
exertion,  by  the  vastness  and  vitality  of  the  issues  in- 
volved, and  by  that  stimulus  which  is  furnished  by  a 
great  occasion,  and  the  collision  of  giant  with  giant, 
in  a  grand  intellectual  struggle.  Beman  was  there,  with 
his  unfailing  flow  of  plausible  ore  rotundo  oratory  and 
metaphor,  forcible,  if  sometimes  mixed.  McAuley  was 
there,  with  his  earnest  manner,  ready  command  of  lan- 
guage, and  somewhat  invective  style.  Peters  was  there, 
with  his  small  stature,  smooth  tone,  and  quiet  manner,  his 
deep-gray  eye  that  twinkled  shrewdness  from  beneath 
its  socket,  his  imperturbable  self-possession,  and  keen 
readiness  to  seize  upon  the  weak  point  of  an  adversary's 
argument.  Dickinson  was  there,  with  his  taller  form,  his 
anxious  expression,  his  somewhat  positive  and  blunt 
eloquence,  and  his  deep  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his 
party.  Duffield  was  there,  earnest,  watchful,  and  eloquent. 
Cleveland  was  there,  with  his  fine  form,  fair  complexion, 
bold  and  forward  mien,  prompt  and  outspoken  address, 
and  impressive  eloquence.  Judge  Jessup  was  there,  with 
his  noble  countenance,  that  indicated  honesty  of  convic- 
tion, his  earnest  manner,  astute  powers  of  reasoning,  and 
forceful,  rugged  eloquence.  These,  with  others  scarce 
less  notable,  were  present.  On  the  other  side  was  the 
venerable  Alexander,  slight  of  stature,  quick  in  move- 
ment, with  a  keen  gray  eye  that  read  the  soul,  with  quiet, 
unobtrusive  mien,  and  habitual  reticence,  except  when  duty 
bade  him  speak ;  but  when  he  spoke,  with  his  slender,  clear 
voice  and  style  of  translucent  simplicity,  all  listened,  for 
his  lips  dropped  wisdom,  and  all  knew  the  man  to  be  sin- 
cere. There,  too,  was  Cuyler,  tall,  slightly  stooped,  gray- 
headed,  with  an  expression  of  benevolent  gentleness  on  his 
countenance,  the  love  of  truth  in  his  heart,  and  with  lips 
ever  prepared  to  defend  it  in  a  style  gentle,  perspicuous, 


3  68  LIFE   OF  DR.   GEORGE   JUNK  IN. 

and  firm.  Elliott,  sedate,  judicious,  dignified,  and  prompt, 
occupied  the  chair.  Plumer  was  there,  with  his  com- 
manding stature  and  presence,  his  raven  locks,  his  dark, 
expressive  eye,  his  peculiar  eloquence,  which  swelled  to 
the  storm,  then  sank  to  the  gentle  murmur  of  the  billow, 
and  again  came  rushing  on  like  the  gale-driven  surf. 
With  less  rigid  and  consecutive  logic  than  some  of  his 
peers,  his  wit  alternating  with  awful  solemnity  of  thought 
and  manner,  combined  with  fine  powers  of  illustration, 
made  him  one  of  the  most  effective  debaters  of  that  great 
occasion.  There  was  Baxter,  portly,  pleasant,  solemn, 
yet  genial,  with  high  powers  of  analysis,  a  manner  of  speech 
that  commanded  attention,  and  a  personal  bearing  that  won 
respect.  The  patriarch  Green  was  there :  large,  stately, 
venerable,  clear-headed,  earnest-hearted,  erudite,  logical, 
terse  and  curt  in  his  statements,  he  possessed  great  weight 
in  the  counsels  of  the  Assembly.  William  Latta  was  there, 
of  medium  stature,  venerable  in  years  and  in  wisdom,  not 
ready  in  extempore  debate,  but  the  author  of  one  of  the 
most  impressive  arguments  delivered  upon  the  doctrinal 
testimony  in  that  Assembly.  Robert  J.  Breckenridge  was 
there :  the  Kentucky  gentleman,  of  rather  more  than  me- 
dium height,  slender,  well  knit,  and  dignified  in  bodily 
stature,  with  a  face  handsome,  expressive,  and  promptly 
conforming  to  the  dominant  emotions,  an  eye  that  could 
melt  with  tenderness,  or  kindle  with  scorn,  or  grow  bland 
with  frankness  and  conciliation,  with  a  mind  that  grasped 
a  subject  with  vigor,  perspicuity,  and  comprehensiveness, 
with  a  power  of  verbal  criticism  that  always  commanded 
the  right  word,  and  often  the  intensest  epithets,  and  an 
elocution  terse,  incisive,  commanding,  and  sometimes  al- 
most vehement,  he  was  often  heard,  and  always  heard  when 
he  spoke.  Breckenridge  was  a  great  debater,  direct  and 
logical,  smiting  his  adversary  point-blank,  terrible  in  re- 
tort, and  skilful  in  fending  the  shafts  of  an  opponent.     If 


DR.    JUNKIN  IN   THE   ASSEMBLY.  369 

there  were  defects  in  his  parliamentary  qualifications,  they 
lay  in  his  impatience  with  slower  minds  among  his  friends, 
when  they  could  not  follow  him  in  advance  of  their  con- 
victions, and  in  a  certain  impetuosity  that  gave  the  impres- 
sion that  he  aimed  to  rout  his  adversaries  rather  than  to 
convince  and  win  them.  The  subject  of  this  memoir  was 
there:  of  medium  stature,  but  powerful  in  bone  and  muscle, 
with  a  keen  black  eye,  which,  in  repose,  or  when  under  the 
influence  of  the  gentler  affections,  looked  lovingly  forth, 
but  which  beamed  brilliantly  in  obedience  to  emotional 
impulse,  a  face  of  the  classic  mould  of  manly  comeliness,  a 
manner  reserved,  reticent,  almost  abstracted,  with  a  ready 
perception  of  all  the  phases  of  the  theme  of  his  thoughts, 
discriminating,  perspicuous,  logical,  and  comprehensive  in 
his  grasp  of  a  subject,  always  ready  with  the  right  word, 
with  unusual  quickness  to  detect  a  sophistry,  and  wondrous 
skill  in  pulling  it  to  pieces  and  exposing  its  useless  frag 
ments,  his  arguments  were  always  forceful,  often  over- 
whelming. His  voice  was  defective,  particularly  to  the 
ear  of  strangers,  being  slender  and  almost  shrill  in  its 
higher  tones.  But  his  elocution  was  distinct,  his  manner 
collected  and  often  ardent,  and  his  "faculty  of  being 
heard,"  as  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckenridge  would  phrase  it,  unsur- 
passed. Indeed,  Dr.  Junkin,  with  all  his  defects  of  voice, 
could  be  heard  farther  and  more  distinctly  than  most  men 
of  his  day.  His  custom,  in  a  deliberative  body,  was  not 
to  speak  often,  and  not  at  all  unless  there  seemed  to  be 
a  real  need.  He  took  a  more  active  part  in  the  debates 
of  this  Assembly  than  was  his  wont,  because  his  brethren 
asked  it.  Perfectly  at  home,  and  recently  practiced  in 
doctrinal  debate,  he  was  expected  to  bear  his  part  in 
such  discussions.  And  as  he  was  recognized  as  one  of  the 
ablest  expounders  of  the  Constitution,  it  was  not  unusual 
to  hear  the  younger  members,  and  those  less  skilled  in 
debate,  whispering,   "  Dr.  Junkin  ought  to  speak  on  that 


370  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

constitutional  question,"  or  expressions  of  similar  kind. 
Forceful  and  often  brilliant  in  his  illustrations,  he  lacked 
skill  in  the  witticism  of  debate,  and  he  rarely  attempted 
retort. 

There  were  other  men  of  mark  in  that  Assembly,  whose 
characteristics  are  remembered  after  the  lapse  of  thirty- 
four  years ;  but  our  space  will  not  permit  an  attempt  to 
sketch  them.  Among  the  elders  on  the  Old  School  side, 
were  such  men  as  James  Lenox,  the  philanthropist,  ex- 
Senator  Walter  Lowrie,  Judge  Nathaniel  Evving,  and  the 
Hon.  Samuel  C.  Anderson,  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Lenox, 
although  a  man  of  fine  mind,  scholarly,  well  read,  and  a 
safe  counsellor,  rarely,  if  ever,  attempted  public  speech. 
Mr.  Lowrie  spoke  seldom,  but  always  sensibly  and  to  the 
purpose.  Mr.  Ewing  was  a  pleasant  speaker,  and  an 
ingenious  debater,  and  was  somewhat  prominent.  Mr. 
Anderson  was  a  fine  speaker,  and  upon  the  question  of 
the  elimination  of  the  Congregational  Synods,  delivered 
a  very  powerful  argument,  which  had  much  influence  in 
producing  the  result. 

After  protracted  debate,  the  resolution  to  abrogate  the 
Plan  of  Union  ''as  unnatural  and  unconstitutional,"  and 
productive  of  abnormal  results,  was  passed  by  a  vote  of  143 
ayes  to  no  nays. 

After  this  was  done,  various  measures  were  proposed  for 
the  remedy  of  existing  evils ;  but  each  met  with  persistent 
opposition  from  the  New  School  members,  and  in  the 
course  of  discussion,  such  practical  objections  to  them  were 
discovered  as  led  to  their  abandonment.  One  of  the  first 
of  these  was  moved  by  Dr.  Plumer,  to  the  effect,  *'  that  such 
inferior  judicatories  as  are  charged  by  common  fame  with 
irregularities"  be  cited  to  the  bar  of  the  next  Assembly, 
— that  a  Committee  of  investigation  and  arrangement  be 
appointed  to  ascertain  the  facts  and  digest  a  plan  of  pro- 
cedure, this  Committee  to  report  "  as  soon  as  practicable," 


ATTEMPT  AT  AMICABLE  DIVISION.  371 

— and  that  the  judicatories  accused  should  not  vote  in 
their  own  case,  or  sit  pending  the  process. 

The  proposed  discipline  of  non-orderly  judicatories  was 
resolved  upon  ;  but  the  vote  was  by  a  diminished  majority, 
many  considering  it  impracticable. 

The  next  suggestion  was  to  attempt  an  amicable  division 
of  the  church.  This  was  made  by  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckenridge, 
in  consequence  of  a  proposition  submitted  to  him  by  Dr. 
Peters.*  This  was  adopted,  and  a  Committee  of  each 
party  was  appointed, — Drs.  Breckenridge,  Alexander, 
Cuyler,  Witherspoon,  and  Judge  Ewing  on  one  side,  and 
Drs.  McAuley,  Beman,  Dickinson,  and  Judge  Jessup  on 
the  other.  The  Committee  and  the  subject  referred  to  them 
were  commended  to  God,  by  the  Assembly,  in  prayer  led 
by  Dr.  Baxter,  f 

On  a  subsequent  day  (May  30)  this  Committee  reported, 
through  Dr.  Alexander,  that  they  could  not  agree  upon  all 
the  details.  Their  minutes  showed  that  in  regard  to  funds, 
corporate  succession,  seminaries,  and  the  records  they  came 
to  terms.  They  agreed  that  the  Old  School  should  retain 
the  name,  and  the  other  be  called  the  American  Presby- 
terian Church ;  but  they  failed  to  agree  in  regard  to  an 
immediate  division,  as  to  the  power  of  the  Assembly  to  do 
it,  and  as  to  breaking  off  the  ecclesiastical  succession  ;  the 
New  School  insisting  that  neither  body  should  be  the  lineal 
sficcessor  of  the  existing  body.  Thus  this  measure  failed, 
and  the  Old  School  thought  the  other  side  were  aiming  to 
secure  delay.  The  Committee  was  discharged  and  the  sub- 
ject tabled. 

As  all  hope  of  an  amicable  separation  seemed  ended, 
the  majority  were  forced  to  choose  between  decisive  action 
or  continued  strife,  with  the  possibility  of  being  either 
forced  to  succumb  to  their  opponents,  or  of  being  by  them 

*  Gillett,  vol.  ii.  p.  508.  f  Baird's  Hist.,  p.  525. 


372  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

cut  off.  Indeed,  they  had  proof  of  the  existence  of  a  plan, 
on  the  part  of  the  New  School,  quite  as  decisive  as  that 
which  the  Old  School  adopted,  provided  the  former  had 
been  in  the  majority,  or  could  gain  a  majority  next  year.* 
It  is  believed  to  have  been  Dr.  Baxter,  who,  in  conver- 
sation with  Mr.  Plumer,  Dr.  Junkin,  Mr.  Anderson,  and 
some  others,  suggested  that  the  abrogation  of  the  Plan  of 
Union  as  unconstitutional  carried  down  with  it  and  out  of 
the  church  all  those  abnormal  judicatories  that  had  grown  up 
under  the  operation  of  that  Plan.  The  Convention  being 
called  together  during  the  negotiations  for  voluntary  sepa- 
ration, this  suggestion  was  laid  before  it,  and  it  was  resolved 
to  apply  the  principle.  When  the  efforts  for  amicable  sepa- 
ration failed,  therefore,  Dr.  Plumer  moved 

"That  by  the  operation  of  the  abrogation  of  the  Plan 
of  Union  of  1801,  the  Synod  of  the  Western  Reserve  is, 
and  is  hereby  declared  to  be,  no  longer  a  part  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  the  United  States  of  America." 

Dr.  Baxter  advocated  the  resolution  in  an  able  and  earn- 
est speech,  in  which  he  cited  cases  from  the  civil  courts,  in 
which  the  principle  was  affirmed  that  what  was  unconstitu- 
tional was  void  ab  initio. 

Judge  Jessup  replied  to  him,  denying  the  constitutional 
power  of  the  Assembly  to  "cut  off"  a  Synod.  He  thus 
gave  the  key-note,  which  has  been  followed  by  his  party 
ever  since,  that  an  act  declaratory  of  the  status  of  a  body 
making  an  unconstitutional  claim  to  be  Presbyterian,  is  a 
"cutting  off"  of  the  body;  whereas  the  Assembly  claimed 
that  the  Synod  (so  called)  never  had  a.  constitutional  con- 
nection with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  never  was 
entitled  to  representation  in  the  Assembly. 

Dr.  McAuley  made  a  pathetic  speech,  portraying  the 
awful  consequences  of  the  proposed  action,  which,  he  said, 

*  Baird's  Hist.,  p.  527. 


DEBATE   IN   THE   ASSEMBLY. 


373 


would  be  dissolving  Synods  and  Presbyteries,  deposing  min  • 
isters,  dissolving  churches,  and  spreading  confusion. 

Dr.  Plumer  replied,  denying  that  any  such  results  would 
follow  ;  that,  as  the  vast  majority  of  the  churches  were  Con- 
gregational, and  the  ministers  only  nominally  Presbyterian, 
this  separation  from  the  Assembly  would  not  affect  the 
standing  of  ministers  or  the  organization  of  churches. 

Mr.  Cleveland  followed,  affirming  his  desire  for  peace, 
but  his  determination  to  resist  the  proposed  action  ;  and, 
after  a  speech  occupying  parts  of  an  evening  and  morning 
session,  he  moved  to  postpone  the  resolution  under  debate, 
in  order  to  take  up  the  question  of  separation  in  a  consti- 
tutional way. 

Dr.  Junkin  opposed  postponement,  and  advocated  the 
resolution.  The  overwhelming  majority  of  the  churches  in 
the  Synod  of  the  Western  Reserve,  he  declared,  were  not 
Presbyterian.  He  pointed  to  the  fact  that,  on  the  floor  of 
the  Assembly,  there  were  fourteen  men  who  represented  but 
two  Presbyterian  churches,  and  that  by  this  process  a  body 
of  Congregational  churches  actually  held  the  balance  of 
power  in  the  General  Assembly,  and  governed  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  whilst  they  themselves  not  only  did  not  sub- 
mit to  the  constitution  and  laws  of  that  church,  but  main- 
tained a  constant  protest  against  Presbyterianism.  Their 
very  existence,  in  the  attitude  which  they  held,  was  a  pro- 
test against  Presbyterian  government,  whilst  they  claimed 
the  right  to  exercise  that  government  over  others.  He  was 
proceeding  to  recite  the  various  disorders  and  doctrinal 
errors  which  were  known  to  exist  in  the  Synod,  when  he 
was  interrupted  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Seward,  of  the  Western 
Reserve,  who  proposed  to  testify  in  favor  of  the  Synod. 

He  was  asked,  "Did  you  assent  to  the  constitutional 
questions  prescribed  for  ministers  at  your  ordination?" 
He  declined  answering  the  question.  Dr.  Beman  inter- 
posed, to  relieve  Mr.   Seward's   embarrassment,  with  the 


374  LIFE    0F  DK-   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

remark,  "Mr.  Seward  has  been  interrupted  by  ques- 
tions." 

The  Moderator  said,  "Mr.  Seward  requested  that  he 
might  be  questioned." 

Mr.  Seward  said,  "  I  do  adopt  the  Book." 

"Did  you  do  so  at  your  ordination?"  To  which  Mr. 
S.  gave  no  reply. 

Mr.  Brown,  an  elder  from  the  Presbytery  of  Lorain, 
said,  "We  have  been  greatly  misrepresented.  There  are 
thirty  Presbyterian  churches  in  our  Synod." 

Dr.  Cuyler.  "  There  are  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine 
churches  in  the  Synod." 

Mr.  Brown.  "The  Confessions  used  in  these  churches 
are  abstracts  of  the  Presbyterian  Confession.  My  Presby- 
tery consists  of  twelve  churches.  I  do  not  know  of  more 
than  one  that  is  strictly  Presbyterian." 

Mr.  H.  Kingsbury,  an  elder  from  Cleveland  church,  said, 
"I  have  a  copy  of  a  certificate  given  me  by  the  Rev.  S.  C. 
Aikin,  and  which  I  have  carried  for  two  years,  to  show  that 
I  am  an  Elder.  I  got  it  because  I  was  once  a  committee- 
man, and  sat  in  the  Assembly,  where  my  seat  was  chal- 
lenged." 

Mr.  Breckenridge.  "Is  he  a  ruling  elder  according  to 
the  Book?" 

Mr.  K.  "I  will  answer  no  questions.  I  am  not  on 
trial." 

Mr.  Breckenridge.  "I  am  credibly  informed  that  he 
never  was  an  elder,  and  that  there  is  no  Board  of  Elders  in 
his  church.  I  now  ask  Mr.  Kingsbury  if  he  ever  adopted 
the  Book." 

Mr.  Kingsbury.     "  I  answer  no  questions." 

Dr.  Peters  afterwards  stated  that  Mr.  Kingsbury  had  au- 
thorized him  to  explain  ;  that  he  had  declined  answering 
because  he  was  not  on  trial ;  but  that  he  was  ordained  an 
elder  two  and  a  half  years  before. 


DEBATE    IN  THE   ASSEMBLY.  375 

Mr.  Breckenridge.  "  Will  Mr.  Kingsbury  now  say  that 
he  ever  adopted  the  Constitution  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church?" 

Mr.  Kingsbury.      "  I  answer  no  questions." 

Mr.  B.      "That's  enough."* 

The  discussion  was  continued  by  Dr.  Peters,  Judge  Jessup, 
Hon.  S.  C.  Anderson,  and  Judge  Ewing,  extending  through 
several  sessions,  after  which  Mr.  Cleveland's  motion  to 
postpone  was  lost,  and  the  resolution  carried  by  a  vote  of 
132  to  105. 

"The  Rubicon  was  now  crossed,"  says  Mr.  Gillett ; 
"the  decisive  principle  had  been  adopted;  and  all  that 
remained  was  simply  a  matter  of  detail.  The  majority 
were  sure  of  their  ground.  They  proceeded  to  perfect 
their  work  with  coolness  and  deliberation.  On  Friday  a 
resolution  was  passed  '  affirming  that  the  organization  and 
operations  of  the  so-called  American  Home  Missionary 
Society,  and  American  Education  Society,  and  its  branches 
of  whatever  name,  are  exceedingly  injurious  to  the  peace 
and  purity  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  We  recommend, 
therefore,  that  they  cease  to  operate  within  any  of  our 
churches.'  "f     This  was  carried,  124  to  86. 

The  Assembly  also  declared  the  Synods  of  Utica,  Geneva, 
and  Genesee  to  be  subject  to  the  same  rule  as  had  been 
applied  to  the  Synod  of  the  Western  Reserve,  and  that  they 
were  not  a  portion  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Vigorous 
resistance  to  these  acts  was  of  course  made  by  the  minority, 
and  a  protracted  debate  preceded  the  vote,  which  stood 
115  to  88. 

In  connection  with  these  disowning  acts,  the  Assembly 
assigned,  as  reasons  for  them,  the  original  unconstitution- 
ality of  the  Plan  of  Union,  the  abnormal  evils  it  had 
wrought,  "the  gross  disorders  which  are  ascertained  to 
have  prevailed  in  those  Synods — it  being  clear  to  us,  that 

*  Baird's  Hist.,  pp.  529,  530. 
f  History,  vol.  ii.  p.  513. 


376  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

even  the  Plan  of  Union  itself  was  never  consistently  car- 
ried into  effect,  by  those  professing  to  act  under  it,"  and 
the  manifest  impropriety  of  a  people  helping  to  administer 
over  others,  a  government  to  which  they  themselves  refused 
to  submit. 

The  Assembly  further  declared,  that  "by  these  resolutions 
they  had  no  intention  to  affect,  in  any  way,  the  ministerial 
standing  of  any  members  of  either  of  said  Synods,  nor  to 
disturb  the  pastoral  relation  in  any  church,  nor  to  inter- 
fere with  the  duties  or  relations  of  private  Christians  in 
their  respective  congregations." 

The  Assembly  also  made  provision  for  such  Presbyteries, 
ministers,  and  churches,  in  the  bounds  of  those  Synods,  as 
were  truly  Presbyterian  in  doctrine  and  order,  to  adhere  to 
the  church.  Presbyteries  were  directed  to  make  applica- 
tion to  the  next  General  Assembly,  ministers  and  churches 
to  the  Presbyteries  most  convenient  to  the  several  locations 
of  the  applicants.* 

The  Elective  Affinity  Presbytery  (Third)  of  Philadel- 
phia was  also  dissolved,  and  its  ministers,  licentiates,  and 
churches  directed  to  go  to  the  Presbyteries  within  whose 
limits  they  were  located.  This  was  done  on  the  motion 
of  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckenridge. 

The  testimony  against  doctrinal  error  was  also  adopted  ; 
a  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  was  instituted,  in  pursuance  of 
the  treaty  with  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society  ;f 
and,  in  short,  the  entire  system  of  reform,  proposed  by  the 
memorialists,  was  adopted.  Against  all  these  measures  of 
the  Assembly  Protests  were  presented,  admitted  to  record, 
and  answered,  all  of  which  can  be  seen  by  the  curious  in 
the  Minutes  and  in  Baird's  Assembly's  Digest.  J 

*  Minutes,  1837,  p.  440. 

f  Dr.  Junkin  was  a  member  of  the  original  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 
%  Dr.  Junkin  was  author  of  the  Answer  to  the  Protest  against  the  Abroga- 
tion of  the  "  Plan  of  Union." 


LETTER    TO    THE    CHURCHES.  377 

In  view  of  the  important  and  extraordinary  measures 
adopted  by  this  Assembly,  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  ex- 
plain to  the  churches  the  grounds  of  this  action,  and  a 
Committee  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  letter  addressed  to 
the  churches  of  Christ  Jesus  throughout  the  earth.  Dr. 
R.  J.  Breckenridge  was  Chairman  of  this  Committee,  and 
doubtless  the  author  of  the  letter  which  was  adopted. 

This  document  is  a  noble  specimen  of  apologetic  writing, 
using  that  adjective  in  its  ancient  sense.  It  is  marked  by 
a  sedate  dignity  of  tone,  an  elevation  of  style,  a  spirituality 
of  temper,  a  lucidness  of  narrative,  and  a  clearness  and 
thoroughness  of  explanation,  which  make  it  admirably 
adapted  to  its  object.  It  carries  with  it  the  conviction,  at 
least  to  all  unprejudiced  minds,  that  the  writer  and  his 
brethren  who  adopted  the  paper,  sincerely  and  sorrowfully 
felt  that,  in  God's  providence,  a  necessity  had  been  laid 
upon  them  to  do  what  they  had  done,  and  that  whilst  the 
acts  were  painful  to  their  hearts  as  Christians,  they  were 
right,  and  had  been  done  in  the  fear  of  God.  We  have 
not  space  to  quote  much  from  this  document,  and  will 
only  insert  one  paragraph,  which  contains  a  description 
of  the  misrepresentations  which  they  sought  to  correct. 
This  is  done,  because  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  in  com- 
mon with  the  writer  of  the  circular  letter,  and  a  few  others 
of  the  Old  School  leaders,  was  made  an  especial  target  for 
such  shafts.  Addressing  believers  throughout  the  earth,  it 
says : 

"You  have  heard  the  motives  of  the  friends  of  truth 
reproached  ;  their  name  cast  out  as  evil ;  their  zeal  for 
maintaining  the  purity  of  the  gospel  represented  as  a  mere 
struggle  for  power  ;  and  all  their  attempts  to  detect  and 
censure  heresy  held  up  to  public  view  as  the  efforts  of  rest- 
less and  ambitious  men  to  gain  the  pre-eminence  for  them- 
selves. Amidst  these  ineffectual  attempts  to  banish  error 
and  restore  order,  vital  piety  has  languished ;  mutual  confi- 
dence has  disappeared ;  the  reviving  and  converting  influ- 

-52* 


378  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

ences  of  the  Holy  Ghost  have  been  withheld  ;  and  our  time 
and  strength  have  been  painfully  occupied  with  strife  and 
debate,  instead  of  being  wholly  given  to  the  spread  of  the 
gospel  and  the  conversion  of  the  world." 

As  was  to  be  expected,  the  defeated  party,  and  those  who 
sympathized  with  them,  made  loud,  acrimonious,  widely- 
spread,  and  persistent  outcry  against  these  measures  of  the 
General  Assembly.  The  terms  unconstitutional,  unchris- 
tian, arbitrary,  tyrannical,  and  other  epithets  tending  to 
bring  them  into  reproach,  were  lavishly  applied  to  them. 
The  organs  of  the  innovating  party,  and  even  portions  of 
the  secular  press,  were  liberal  of  their  censures.  The  acts 
of  the  Assembly  were  characterized  in  such  a  way  as  to  set 
them  before  the  public  in  the  strongest  light  of  reproba- 
tion, as  they  appeared  to  the  more  ardent  New  School 
brethren.  The  changes  were  rung  upon  "excision,"  the 
"exscinding  acts,"  the  enormity  of  excluding  from  the 
church  four  Synods,  and  so  large  a  number  of  Presbyteries, 
ministers,  churches,  and  communicants,  without  citation, 
trial,  or  conviction  ;  and  although  the  acts  of  Assembly 
made  very  full  and  specific  declarations  to  the  contrary, 
this  exclusion  was  spoken  of,  much  as  if  the  ministers  had 
been  deposed,  the  church  courts  dissolved,  and  the  church- 
members  excommunicated. 

Nor  was  it  unreasonable  to  expect  such  representations 
to  be  made  by  men  smarting  under  defeat,  and  who  really 
and  sincerely  thought  that  the  Assembly  had  exerted  powers 
not  clearly  granted  in  the  constitution, — men  who  looked 
upon  matters  from  an  entirely  different  standpoint,  and 
with  wholly  different  feelings  and  convictions,  from  those 
of  the  Old  School.  And  it  is  due  to  the  truth  of  history 
to  say,  that  many  who  were  not  personally,  or  by  reason 
of  denominational  connection,  involved  in  the  contro- 
versy, men,  too,  of  sound  judgment  and  of  acknowledged 
fairness,  differed  in  opinion  about  the  constitutionality  of 


SINCERITY  OF  AIL    PARTIES. 


379 


these  measures.  And  whilst  it  is  due  to  the  majority 
(0.  S.)  to  admit,  that  they  acted  under  a  high  conscious- 
ness and  a  profound  conviction  of  the  necessity,  the  con- 
stitutionality, and  the  righteousness  of  their  acts,  and  also 
that  their  measures  were  adopted  with  a  calmness  and 
solemnity  that  could  not  have  been  exhibited  in  such 
stormy  times  by  men  of  ordinary  mould,  it  is  due  to  the 
other  side  to  attribute  to  them  similar  motives  and  a  like 
sincerity,  where  there  was  no  proof  at  the  time,  and  none 
furnished  by  subsequent  events,  of  a  contrary  state  of  things. 
Of  the  great  mass  of  real  Presbyterians  then  in  the  New 
School  body,  nothing  impeaching  their  sincerity  can  be 
said.  But  of  those  who  had  put  on  the  Presbyterian  name 
without  adopting  the  principles  of  our  church,  and  who, 
after  the  division  of  the  church,  returned  to  Congregation- 
alism, or  continued  to  perplex  the  New  School  Church 
with  continued  controversy,  so  charitable  a  judgment  can 
hardly  be  expressed  by  a  candid  historian. 

For  another  year  the  church  was  agitated  by  the  discus- 
sion of  these  grave  issues ;  and  both  parties  looked  forward 
to  the  next  Assembly  with  the  intensest  solicitude.  On 
both  sides  the  discussions  were  warm,  able,  and  earnest ; 
and  it  would  be  expecting  too  much  from  partially  sancti- 
fied human  nature  to  suppose,  that  in  all  cases  the  utmost 
proprieties  of  Christian  controversy  were  observed. 

The  history  of  the  great  ecclesiastical  struggle  which 
resulted  in  the  division  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  has 
been  narrated,  with  a  fulness  and  detail  that  might  seem 
unnecessary  in  the  biography  of  a  single  actor  in  those 
scenes.  But  it  seemed  to  the  writer  impossible  to  deline- 
ate the  part  borne  in  those  great  events  by  Dr.  Junkin,  so 
as  to  do  simple  justice  to  his  memory,  without  narrating 
the  whole.  Things  must  be  seen  in  their  relations  in  order 
to  be  fairly  understood.  Conduct,  in  any  given  set  of 
circumstances,  cannot  be  rightly  described  nor  justly  esti- 


380  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

mated  if  the  circumstances  are  unknown.  And  as  the 
same  events  here  narrated  have  been  professedly  recorded 
by  others, — with  what  measure  of  accuracy  and  fairness  the 
public  will  have  to  judge, — the  writer  of  this  book  felt  it 
to  be  his  duty  to  present  the  facts  as  collated  from  the 
documents  and  records  of  the  church. 

Dr.  Junkin  was  not  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  1838;  and  whilst  it  maybe  that  he  was  consulted  in 
regard  to  some  of  its  measures,  he  was  not  so  identified 
with  its  acts  as  to  make  them  a  part  of  his  personal  history 
to  any  appreciable  extent.  It  is  not,  therefore,  the  design 
of  the  present  writer  to  carry  forward  the  history  of  the 
church,  in  its  minute  details,  beyond  the  period  now 
reached.  That  was  the  great  crisis ;  the  actual  secession 
that  took  place  the  next  year  was  but  the  result  of  what  had 
been  already  done. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

Struggles  of  Lafayette  College— Dr.  Junkin  invited  to  a  Pastorate  in  Cin- 
cinnati— Declines — Work  on  Justification — College  Printing-Press — 
Prof.  Cunningham — The  Educator— The  Normal  School — The  Faculty 
— Standard  of  Scholarship  in  the  College  high — Disruption  of  1838 — 
Results  in  Inferior  Courts — Dr.  Junkin  in  the  Synod  of  New  Jersey — 
Who  is  responsible  for  Religious  Controversy? — The  Results  of  the 
Great  Struggle  recapitulated — The  Reunion,  how  brought  about — Dr. 
Junkin's  Agency. 

IT  was  deemed  most  conducive  to  a  lucid  arrangement 
of  the  narrative,  to  complete  the  his.tory  of  the  ecclesi- 
astical events,  in  which  Dr.  Junkin  was  more  prominently 
concerned,  without  interrupting  it  by  other  incidents.  It 
will  be  necessary  to  bring  up  his  more  private  history  to 
the  same  period. 

Whilst  Dr.  Junkin  was  lending  his  strength  and  influence 
to  the  great  interests  of  the  church,  as  narrated  in  the  pre- 
vious chapters,  his  toils  and  solicitudes  in  the  College 
enterprise  were  by  no  means  abated ;  and  serious  embar- 
rassments sometimes  arose.  The  want  of  any  endowment 
occasioned  ever-recurring  pecuniary  pressure.  The  Board 
of  Trustees  had  to  incur  some  debt  in  order  to  provide  the 
necessary  buildings ;  and  part  of  this  debt  was  owing  to 
the  President  for  money  advanced,  and  as  they  were  unable 
to  refund,  he  sometimes  was  almost  constrained  to  abandon 
the  enterprise  for  want  of  means  to  carry  it  forward. 
Buoyant  in  spirit  and  hopeful,  as  he  was,  he  at  times  was 
almost  in  despair  of  success. 

On  the  27th  of  August,  1835,  he  wrote  to  his  old  and 
attached  friend,  the  Rev.  Robert  Steel,  of  Abington  : 

(381) 


382  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

"Our  state  is  critical.  Money  I  must  have  in  a  few 
weeks,  or  down  this  institution  must  go.  I  have  written  to 
the  brethren  in  Philadelphia,  stating  the  case,  and  asking 
co-operation  as  the  only  alternative.  Ten  thousand  would 
enable  us  to  go  on  decently.  .  .  .  Now,  here,  I  think,  is  a 
noble  oppoitunity  to  do  good  to  our  church.  Our  Board 
are  willing  to  mortgage  the  College  property  to  any  good 
Presbyterians  for  the  sum  named,  and  that  will  clear  us  of 
all  debt,  and  leave  some  two  thousand  dollars  to  buy  books 
and  other  necessary  appliances.  Thus  Lafayette  may  be 
secured  forever  to  the  interest  of  our  church.  Will  not 
the  friends  of  this  cause  do  something?  I  have  tendered 
to  our  Board  the  alternative  of  stopping  finally,  at  the  end 
of  the  present  year  (Sept.  23),  or  of  paying  me  my  debt, — 
about  $3400.  They  will  pay  part  in  a  few  days,  but  this 
will  not  suffice ;  there  are  other  debts  that  must  be  met ; 
and  we  must  have  books,  etc. 

"Now,  I  am  the  more  anxious  to  have  this  matter  issued, 
as  the  Lord  has  thrown  open  a  door  of  honorable  retreat, 
by  an  invitation  from  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Cincinnati,  in  which  Dr.  Wilson  cordially  joins,  to  become 
co-pastor  with  him.  To  leave  this  enterprise  would  blast 
the  fondest  desires  of  my  heart ;  but  I  cannot  endure  it 
thus.  To  go  on  is  impossible  in  the  present  state  of  things; 
and  I  have  thrown  the  responsibility  upon  a  few  brethren 
in  the  city;  and  this  I  had  done  before  I  knew  of  the  offer 
from  the  West.  My  friends  here  say  that  if  I  go  the 
College  must  fall,  or  pass  into  different  hands,  and  those, 
probably,  our  enemies. 

"Now,  my  dear  brother,  I  wish  you  would  go  on  Mon- 
day and  attend  the  meeting  at  Dr.  Green's,*  and  have 
some  talk  about  it ;  and  if  encouraged,  I  will  go  down 
again." 

Relief  was  obtained  to  some  extent ;  but  not  in  such 
measure  as  would  have  induced  a  man  of  less  perseverance 
than  Dr.  Junkin  to  continue  the  struggle. 

The  invitation  from  the  First  Church  of  Cincinnati  and 
its  venerable  Pastor  was  very  urgent.     The  correspondence, 

*  Ministers'  Prayer-Meeting. 


WORK  ON  JUSTIFICATION.  ^i 

still  on  file,  indicates  a  very  strong  desire  to  obtain  Dr. 
Junkin's  services ;  but  his  heart  was  set  upon  educating 
men  for  the  Ministry,  and  he  gave  a  respectful  negative  to 
the  call. 

At  the  request  of  his  friends,  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckenridge 
and  Rev.  A.  B.  Cross, — the  Editors  of  the  Baltimore  Reli- 
gious and  Literary  Magazine, — Dr.  Junkin  contributed  a 
series  of  articles  to  that  monthly  on  "The  Moral  Govern- 
ment of  God."  These  constituted  the  basis  of  his  Treatise 
on  Justification,  the  first  edition  of  which  he  published  in 
1839.  Of  this  treatise  the  Princeton  Review  remarked, 
that  its  title  was  too  modest,  and  was  a  misnomer,  for  that, 
instead  of  being  simply  a  Treatise  upon  Justification,  it  was 
really  a  compact  and  complete  system  of  Theology.  It 
does  not  become  the  present  writer  to  speak  of  its  merits ; 
but  he  will  say  this  much,  that  he  knows  of  no  book  in 
which  the  Calvinistic  theology  is  stated  so  succinctly,  yet 
so  fully,  lucidly,  and  suggestively,  as  in  this  small  volume. 
The  arrangement  is  philosophical,  one  part  following  the 
other  accordantly  with  the  laws  of  mind,  "so  that  every 
preceding  vehicle,  with  its  treasure,  has  a  certain  aptitude 
to  draw  after  it  the  one  precisely  adapted  to  it,  and  which 
will  secure  a  similar  sequence."  In  this,  as  in  all  his  works, 
Dr.  Junkin's  method  of  expounding  Scripture  is  the  in- 
ductive,— collating  all  the  passages  where  a  term  is  used, 
and  thus  making  Scripture  the  interpreter  of  Scripture. 
He  demonstrates  in  this  book  that  the  doctrines  of  the 
Bible,  embraced  in  the  great  question  of  justification,  con- 
tain the  essence  of  all  morality,  and  form  the  substratum 
of  all  sound  social,  civil,  and  political  government ;  that 
there  are  not  two  systems  of  morals,  one  for  the  Christian 
and  one  for  the  citizen,  but  one  system  only,  and  that 
covering  the  entire  existence  of  the  man  in  all  his  relations 
and  all  his  duties;  hence  the  name  first  given  to  the  Essays, 
— "The  Moral  Government  of  God."     In  this  volume  the 


384  LIFE    0F  DR-   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

metaphysics  of  theology  is  so  popularized  and  simplified, 
that  no  unsophisticated  reader  would  suppose  there  is  any 
metaphysics  in  the  book ;  proving  that  sound,  even  pro- 
found, philosophy  is  nothing  more  than  common  sense. 
The  objections  to  the  distinctive  doctrines  of  grace  are 
answered  with  very  satisfactory  conclusiveness,  and  on  this 
and  other  accounts  theological  students  and  private  Chris- 
tians have  found  it  one  of  the  most  convenient  and  reliable 
hand-books. 

He  added  to  the  work  a  chapter  upon  Sanctification ;  but, 
later  in  life,  he  prepared  a  separate  treatise  upon  that  sub- 
ject. It  so  happened  that  several  young  men  were  in  the 
College  who  had  learned  the  art  of  printing ;  and  with  a 
view  to  give  them  employment,  and  at  the  same  time 
increase  the  means  of  disseminating  educational  knowledge, 
and  promote  both  common-school  and  collegiate  education, 
Dr.  Junkin  purchased  a  printing-press  and  complete  set  of 
types.  His  book  upon  Justification  (1st  edition)  was  printed 
on  the  College  press,  the  work  being  done  by  students  ; 
and  he  commenced  a  periodical  called  "The  Educator," 
which  was  under  his  editorial  control,  assisted  by  the  Pro- 
fessors of  the  College,  and  other  contributors.  The  book 
on  Justification  was  published  under  the  imprimatur  of  a 
Philadelphia  publishing  house,  although  all  the  printing 
and  press-work  were  done  in  the  College  by  students. 

The  immediate  occasion  of  the  establishment  of  a  printing- 
press  in  connection  with  the  College,  was  the  desire  of  the 
President  to  engraft  upon  the  usual  college  system  a  branch 
for  the  especial  training  of  teachers  for  Academies  and  com- 
mon schools.  It  has  already  been  mentioned,  that  Dr. 
Junkin  felt  and  manifested  a  lively  interest  in  the  system  of 
general  education  then  being  inaugurated  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  that  he  bore  an  efficient  part  in  promoting  it.  From 
1836  to  1840  there  was  much  discussion  of  teaching,  and 
its  modes  and  appliances.    The  great  want,  universally,  felt, 


PROFESSOR    CUNNINGHAM. 


385 


was  that  of  competent  teachers,  who  could  be  induced  to 
make  teaching  a  profession.  The  impossibility  of  retain- 
ing the  services  of  competent  teachers  with  the  low  com- 
pensation usually  paid ;  the  defects  of  school-houses  and 
school  apparatus;  indeed,  the  entire  subject  of  education, 
were  extensively  discussed,  both  on  the  rostrum  and  through 
the  press.  In  these  discussions,  Dr.  Junkin,  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  his  younger  brother,  in  New  Jersey,  bore  some  part. 
But  there  was  no  medium  of  communication  with  the  pub- 
lic, through  which  such  discussions  could  be  regularly  and 
effectively  carried  on ;  and  Dr.  Junkin  had  for  some  time 
been  pondering  the  propriety  of  attempting  to  supply  this 
want  by  the  establishment  of  an  educational  journal. 

His  determination  to  attempt  it  was  rendered  definitive 
by  the  arrival  of  a  Scotch  gentleman  of  mature  scholarship, 
who  desired  to  prosecute  in  this  country  the  business  which 
he  had  pursued  in  his  own, — that  of  an  educator.  This 
gentleman,  Professor  William  Cunningham,  was  a  licensed 
preacher  of  the  gospel,  but  had  consecrated  his  powers  to 
the  important  work  of  improving  the  modes  of  education. 

About  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  this  country,  the  Chair 
of  Languages  in  Lafayette  College  was  vacant,  and  it 
was  tendered  to  Mr.  Cunningham.  As  it  was  his  great 
aim  to  be  a  teacher  of  teachers,  he  was  unwilling  to  accept 
such  a  Professorship  as  that  offered,  except  with  the  ulti- 
mate expectation  of  being  placed  in  connection  with  a 
Normal  School  for  the  training  of  teachers.  Upon  the 
subject  of  elevating  the  standard  of  common-school  educa- 
tion, and  improving  the  attainments  and  skill  of  teachers, 
Mr.  Cunningham  was  an  enthusiast.  He  had  visited  some 
of  the  most  improved  institutions  of  the  Old  World,  and 
made  himself  familiar  with  the  theories  and  the  practice 
of  teaching,  and  was  seeking  for  an  opportunity  to  make 
his  knowledge  available.  In  Dr.  Junkin  he  met  a  brother 
enthusiast  in  his  favorite  field,  and,  for  the  sake  of  securing 

33 


3S6  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

the  services  of  so  valuable  an  auxiliary,  the  President  of  the 
College  determined  to  make  Lafayette,  if  possible,  a  foun- 
tain whence  streams  should  flow  to  refresh  and  fertilize  the 
field  of  common-school  education  as  well  as  that  of  other 
professions. 

To  accomplish  this  it  was  not  difficult  to  get  the  neces- 
sary action  on  the  part  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  And 
when  this  was  attained,  two  other  means  to  the  desired  end 
were  to  be  provided, — a  Periodical  to  reach  the  public  mind 
with  healthy  light  upon  the  subject  of  education,  and  a 
model  school  in  which  teachers  could  be  trained  in  the  arts 
of  teaching  and  pedagogics,  whilst  they  were  acquiring  the 
requisite  knowledge  in  the  College  classes.  But  the  College 
had  no  funds  to  be  used  for  such  a  purpose ;  and,  with  the 
hope  of  ultimate  reimbursement  for  the  model  school,  Dr. 
Junkin,  with  his  private  means,  erected,  upon  the  College 
grounds,  the  stone  edifice  still  standing,  the  first  story  to 
be  used  as  a  Laboratory  and  chemical  and  philosophical 
Lecture-room,  the  upper  story  to  be  devoted  to  the  purposes 
of  a  Normal  School.  This  was  the  first  institution  of  the 
kind  in  the  Commonwealth,  and,  so  far  as  known  to  the 
writer,  the  first  in  the  country.  During  the  erection  and 
furnishing  of  the  Normal  School,  Professor  Cunningham 
occupied,  with  marked  ability  and  efficiency,  the  Chair  of 
Languages ;  the  arrangement  being  that  he  should  assume 
the  superintendence  of  the  normal  institution  when  it  was 
ready  for  pupils. 

Meanwhile  the  press  was  bought,  and  "  The  Educator" 
issued,  in  a  bi-monthly  folio,  and  it  was  filled  with  most 
valuable  matter,  not  only  upon  the  subject  of  education, 
but  of  general  science  and  art.  Mr.  Cunningham  was 
associated  with  Dr.  Junkin  in  the  editorship,  and  contri- 
buted very  valuable  matter  for  its  columns,  but  the  burden 
of  details,  and  much  of  the  editorial,  rested  upon  Dr. 
Junkin.      Nor  did   he,  with  these  additional  labors,  abat^ 


FACULTY  OF  LAFAYETTE    COLLEGE.  387 

anything  of  his  toils  in  the  regular  routine  or  the  extra  de- 
mands of  the  College. 

It  was  in  the  autumn  of  1837,  that  Professor  Cunningham 
came  to  Lafayette.  Professor  Kuhn  had  resigned  and  gone 
to  Georgia,  and  Mr.  Cunningham  was  elected  in  his  place. 
The  College  was  still  growing  in  numbers  and  in  public 
favor.  The  Legislature  of  the  State  was  induced  to  extend 
aid  to  it  and  some  others,  on  condition  of  their  making 
certain  provisions  for  the  education  of  teachers;  and  there 
seemed,  at  one  time,  a  fair  prospect  that  the  profession  of 
teaching  would  be  elevated  to  the  position  to  which  it  is 
entitled  beside  the  other  learned  professions,  by  the  system 
proposed  by  Dr.  Junkin,  of  connecting  the  training  of 
teachers  with  the  curriculum  of  Colleges.  The  partial  fail- 
ure of  the  scheme  will  be  accounted  for  hereafter. 

At  the  time  of  Prof.  Cunningham's  accession,  the  Fac- 
ulty of  the  College  consisted  of  the  President ;  the  Vice- 
President  (Mr.  C.)  and  Professor  of  Ancient  Languages; 
Washington  McCartney,  Esq.,  Professor  of  Mathematics; 
Traill  Green,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Natural 
Philosophy ;  the  Rev.  Frederick  Schmidt,  Professor  of 
Modern  Languages;  Hon.  James  M.  Porter,  Professor  of 
Law  ;  and  the  writer  of  these  pages,  Professor  of  the  Belles- 
Lettres ;  all,  except  Mr.  Cunningham,  having  occupied 
their  places  for  some  time  previous.  The  President  was 
Professor  of  Logic,  Mental  and  Moral  Science,  Political 
Economy,  and  the  Evidences  of  Christianity.  Mr.  Mc- 
Cartney had  held  the  same  position  in  Jefferson  College, — 
and  is  the  author  of  a  valuable  book  on  exact  science.  Dr. 
Green  was  a  physician,  then  young,  but  of  eminent  scien- 
tific attainments ;  and  he  is  still,  after  the  lapse  of  thirty- 
five  years,  connected  with  the  institution.  Mr.  Schmidt 
was  a  German,  and  a  man  of  ripe  scholarship  and  fine 
mind.  Col.  Porter  was  a  man  of  marked  ability,  and  was 
an  eminent  practitioner  at  the  Bar.    The  Professor  of  Belles- 


388  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKW. 

Lettres  was  Pastor  of  a  neighboring  congregation  ;  and 
gave  his  services  gratuitously,  for  the  sake  of  helping  on 
with  the  College  enterprise. 

Already  had  Lafayette  College  sent  forth  sons  who  have 
made  their  mark  in  the  country  and  in  the  world,  in  the 
various  learned  Professions  and  in  other  lines  of  life;  and 
had  either  the  justice  of  the  Legislature  or  the  liberality  of 
private  individuals  supplied  the  pecuniary  means,  that  In- 
stitution would  have  much  earlier  assumed  the  position 
which  she  now  occupies.  As  it  was,  the  number  of  her 
students  increased,  her  classes  grew  larger,  and  it  was 
acknowledged  that  her  Alumni  compared  very  favorably  in 
scholarship  and  mental  maturity  with  those  of  other  insti- 
tutions. On  one  occasion,  when  the  writer  of  this  memoir 
was  at  Princeton,  the  venerable  Dr.  Alexander  said  to  him, 
"Tell  your  brother  that  I  congratulate  him,  and  the  mem- 
bers of  his  Faculty,  upon  the  fine  character  and  high  schol- 
arship of  the  students  who  have  come  from  Lafayette  to 
our  Seminary."  This,  from  a  man  who  rarely  paid  com- 
pliments and  was  the  very  impersonation  of  sincerity,  was 
no  inconsiderable  praise. 

The  disruption  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  took  place 
in  May,  1838.  Of  that  Assembly  Dr.  Junkin  was  not  a 
member;  and  it  is  not  necessary,  upon  these  pages,  to 
detail  at  large  the  incidents  of  that  unpleasant  scene.  The 
Assembly  met  in  the  Seventh  Presbyterian  Church,  the 
same  one  in  which  they  had  held  the  sessions  of  the  pre- 
vious year.  The  edifice  of  that  church,  sometimes  called 
"The  Tabernacle,"  stood  near  the  centre  of  the  square 
which  is  bounded  on  the  north  and  south  by  Market  and 
Chestnut  Streets,  and  east  and  west  by  Fourth  and  Fifth 
Streets.  It  was  reached  by  a  narrow  avenue  called  Ran- 
stead  Court,  extending  west  from  Fourth  Street,  to  the 
church,  and  no  farther.  There  was  attached  to  the  church 
at  that  time  a  small  cemetery,  densely  filled  with  graves, 


GENERAL   ASSEMBLY  OF  ii 


3^9 


and  covered  with  tomb-stones.  The  edifice  itself,  the  tomb- 
stones, and  the  bodies  of  the  dead  which  they  covered, 
have  all  disappeared ;  and  the  locality,  so  interesting  in 
the  history  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  would  scarcely  be 
recognized  by  the  actors  in  the  scenes  which  marked  the 
Assemblies  of  1834,  1837,  and  1838. 

The  General  Assembly  of  1838  met  in  that  place  on  the 
17th  of  May,  at  11  o'clock,  and  was  opened  with  a  sermon 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  David  Elliott,  from  Isaiah  lx.  1,  "Arise, 
shine,"  etc.  After  the  sermon,  the  Moderator  constituted 
the  Assembly  with  prayer,  and  directed  the  Clerk  to  read 
the  roll.  The  Rev.  Wm.  Patton,  a  commissioner  from  the 
Third  Presbytery  of  New  York,  rose  and  asked  leave  to 
offer  certain  resolutions. 

The  Moderator  declared  the  request  to  be  out  of  order 
at  that  time,  as  the  first  business  was  the  report  of  the 
Clerks  on  the  roll.  In  narrating  this  decision  of  the  Mod- 
erator, Mr.  Gillett  omits  the  important  words  "at  this  time" 
with  what  follows. 

Dr.  Patton  appealed  from  this  decision.  The  Moderator 
declared  the  appeal,  for  the  reason  already  stated,  to  be 
out  of  order  at  that  time ;  as  there  was  no  constituted 
Assembly  to  which  the  appeal  could  be  made,  it  not  being 
known  who,  of  the  crowded  congregation,  were  members 
and  who  not  members  of  the  General  Assembly.  Dr.  Pat- 
ton stated  that  the  resolutions  related  to  the  formation  of 
the  rolls,  and  began  to  read  them ;  but,  being  called  to 
order,  took  his  seat. 

The  Clerks  then  reported  the  roll,  and  also  the  names 
of  sundry  commissioners  whose  credentials  were  incom- 
plete. After  this  was  done,  the  Moderator  stated  that 
the  commissioners  whose  names  had  thus  been  reported 
were  members  of  the  Assembly ;  and  that  if  there  were 
any  commissioners  present,  from  Presbyteries  in  connec- 
tion   with    the    Assembly,    whose    names    had    not    been 

33* 


390  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

enrolled,  then  was  the  time  for  presenting  their  commis- 
sions. 

Dr.  Erskine  Mason  rose,  as  he  said,  to  offer  a  resolution 
"to  complete  the  roll,"  by  adding  the  names  of  certain  com- 
missioners who,  he  said,  had  presented  their  commissions 
to  the  Clerks,  and  had  been  by  them  refused.  The  Mod- 
erator inquired  if  they  were  from  Presbyteries  belonging 
to  the  Assembly  at  the  close  of  the  sessions  of  last  year. 
Dr.  Mason  replied  that  they  were  from  Presbyteries  belong- 
ing to  the  Synods  of  Utica,  Geneva,  Genesee,  and  the 
Western  Reserve.  The  Moderator  stated  that  the  resolu- 
tion was  out  of  order  at  that  time.*  Dr.  Mason  appealed 
from  the  decision  of  the  Moderator ;  which  appeal,  also, 
the  Moderator  declared  to  be  out  of  order,  and  repeated 
the  call  for  commissioners  in  connection  with  the  Assembly. 

The  Rev.  Miles  P.  Squier,  a  member  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Geneva,  then  rose,  and  stated  that  he  had  a  commission 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Geneva,  which  he  had  presented  to 
the  Clerks,  who  refused  to  receive  it,  and  that  he  now 
offered  it  to  the  Assembly,  and  claimed  his  right  to  his 
seat.  The  Moderator  inquired  if  that  Presbytery  belonged 
to  the  Synod  of  Geneva.  Mr.  Squier  replied  that  it  did. 
The  Moderator  then  said,  "Then  we  do  not  know  you, 
sir,"  and  declared  the  application  out  of  order. 

Mr.  Cleveland  then  rose,  and  began  to  read  a  paper, 
the  purport  of  which  was  not  heard,  when  the  Moderator 
called  him  to  order.  Mr.  Cleveland,  however,  persisted 
in  the  reading,  notwithstanding  the  repeated  call  to  order. 
During  the  reading  the  Rev.  Joshua  Moore,  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Huntingdon,  presented  a  commission,  and  was 
enrolled,  and  took  his  seat. 

It  was  then  moved  to  appoint  a  Committee  of  elections, 
to  which  informal  commissioners  might  be  referred.     But 

*  See  Digest,  book  iv.  §  108. 


DISRUPTION  OF  1838.  39I 

the  reading  by  Mr.  Cleveland  still  continuing,  and  the 
Moderator  having  in  vain  again  called  to  order,  and  taken 
his  seat,  and  the  residue  of  the  Assembly  remaining  silent, 
the  business  was  suspended  during  the  short  but  painful 
scene  of  confusion  and  disorder  which  ensued.  After 
which,  the  actors  therein  having  left  the  house,  the  Assem- 
bly resumed  its  business.* 

The  account  given  of  this  same  transaction,  by  Mr.  Gil- 
lett,  the  New  School  historian,  is  as  follows.  After  nar- 
rating the  declaration  of  the  Moderator  to  Mr.  Squier, 
"  We  do  not  know  you,  sir,"  he  says  : 

"  Upon  this  Mr.  John  P.  Cleveland,  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Detroit,  rose,  and,  amid  much  interruption  and  many  calls 
to  order,  proceeded  to  read  a  paper  which  he  held  in  his 
hand.  The  contents  of  it  were,  substantially,  that  whereas 
the  rights  of  certain  commissioners  have  been  violated,  in 
their  being  refused  their  seats  as  members  of  the  General 
Assembly,  and  the  Moderator  has  refused  to  do  his  duty, 
it  therefore  becomes  necessary  to  organize  this  General 
Assembly  at  this  time,  and  in  this  place,  in  the  most 
prompt  manner,  and  with  the  least  interruption  practica- 
ble. To  this  they  had  been  advised  by  counsel  learned  in 
the  law,  as  a  measure  necessary  to  retain  their  rights  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

"  He  then  moved  that  Dr.  Beman,  Moderator  of  a  pre- 
vious Assembly,f  take  the  chair  till  another  Moderator 
should  be  chosen.  The  motion  was  carried  by  '  a  very 
loud  aye.'  Dr.  Beman  took  his  station  in  the  aisle  of  the 
church,  and  a  motion  was  made  that  E.  Mason  and  E.  W. 
Gilbert  be  the  clerks,  which  was  agreed  to.  Dr.  S.  Fisher 
was,  in  like  manner,  elected  Moderator.  The  questions 
were  moved  and  taken  both  affirmatively  and  negatively, 
with  but  few  negative  voices.  It  was  then  moved  that  the 
Assembly,  as  thus  constituted,  adjourn  to  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church.     This  motion  was  carried. 

"The  members  of  the  body  then  withdrew  from  the 
house.     It  was  announced,  in  a  loud  voice,  at  the  doors, 

*  Minutes,  1838,  pp.  3-7.  j-  1831, 


392  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

and  in  the  body  of  the  house,  that  the  Assembly  had  ad- 
journed to  the  First  Presbyterian  (Mr.  Barnes')  Church." 

Such,  as  described  in  a  history  published  by  authority 
of  the  New  School  Committee  of  Publication,  was  the 
tumultuous  and  unprecedented  process  by  which  these 
brethren  sought  to  constitute  themselves  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States. 
The  noise  and  confusion  were  such,  that  it  was  difficult  for 
those  not  in  the  counsels  of  the  actors  therein  fully  to  know 
what  was  going  on.  It  might  be  interesting  to  put  on 
record  here,  as  descriptive  of  the  scene,  the  testimony  of 
some  of  the  witnesses,  given  under  oath,  upon  the  trial  in 
Nisi  Prius.  That  of  the  venerable  Samuel  Miller,  D.D., 
Professor  in  Princeton  Seminary,  will,  however,  be  suffi- 
cient. After  describing  his  presence  and  position  in  the 
church  edifice,  and  stating  that  he  was  not  a  commissioner, 
he  says : 

"Mr.  Cleveland  rose,  and  held  a  paper  in  his  hand, 
which  he  seemed  to  be  attempting  to  read.  There  were 
cries  of  order.  He  began  in  a  loud  voice,  but  seemed  to 
experience  a  great  deal  of  difficulty  in  proceeding.  The 
contents  of  the  paper,  so  far  as  I  heard  them,  were,  that 
they  had  been  advised  by  counsel  learned  in  the  law,  that 
at  that  time  and  place  they  must  organize  a  new  body,  and 
that  they  would  proceed,  in  as  few  words,  in  as  short  a 
time,  and  with  as  little  discourtesy  as  possible,  to  do  so  ; 
and  he  moved  that  Dr.  Beman  take  the  chair.  That  is  the 
amount  of  what  I  heard.  Then  there  was  a  great  deal  of 
tumult,  and  disorder,  and  calls  to  order.  What  Mr.  Cleve- 
land said  appeared  to  be  by  no  means  distinctly  uttered. 
With  the  exception  of  a  few  calls  to  order,  all  the  tumult 
was  in  that  part  of  the  house  where  Mr.  Cleveland  was. 
1  heard  no  vocal  utterance  in  other  parts  of  the  house,  ex- 
cepting the  calls  to  order.  The  nays  were  not  called  for 
on  either  of  Mr.  Cleveland's  motions.  After  moving, 
without  reversing  the  question,  that  Dr.  Beman  should  take 
the  chair,  he  made,  I  think,  a  similar  motion,  also  without 
reversing  it,  that   Dr.  Mason  and   Mr.  Gilbert  should   be 


TESTIMONY  OF   WITNESSES. 


393 


clerks.  After  these  resolutions  had  passed,  that  is,  after 
the  ayes,  which  came  principally  from  that  part  of  the 
house,  had  been  called  for,  Dr.  Beman  immediately  stepped 
out  into  the  aisle,  and  appeared  to  place  himself  in  the 
situation  of  a  presiding  officer.  The  whole  body  of  those 
engaged  in  these  proceedings  moved  down  the  aisle,  near 
the  door  opposite  to  the  pulpit.  I  afterwards  heard  a  con- 
fused murmur,  but  no  distinct,  articulate  sounds;  what 
words  were  spoken,  or  with  what  result,  I  am  wholly  un- 
able to  testify  from  my  own  knowledge.  .  .  .  The 
great  body  of  the  Old  School  occupied  the  part  of  the 
church  where  I  stood.  ...  I  think  I  was  standing  in 
the  midst  of  that  body.  I  heard  no  vote  from  this  part 
of  the  house.  So  far  as  I  could  see  and  hear,  not  a  single 
man  of  the  Old  School,  in  the  whole  house,  voted.  I 
heard  no  negative  votes  on  any  of  the  motions.  When  the 
vote  '  aye'  was  given,  there  was  a  character  about  it  that 
convinced  me  that  a  number  in  the  gallery  had  voted. 
These  were  sharp,  shrill  cries,  which  I  could  not  believe 
came  from  considerate,  dignified,  and  serious  men.  I  took 
it  for  granted  that  they  came  from  the  gallery  and  from  the 
boys  about.  This,  however,  was  my  own  inference.  There 
was  a  certain  character  about  the  ayes  that  I  had  been  al- 
together unaccustomed  to." 

Rev.  I.  V.  Brown,  testifying  to  the  same  point,  says  : 

"  I  think  there  were  voices  from  the  gallery,  and  voices 
that  clearly  manifested  that  they  did  not  belong  to  mem- 
bers of  the  Assembly.  They  were  shrill  and  squeaking, 
more  like  female  voices,  or,  if  not  so,  came  from  minor 
youth." 

Several  of  the  witnesses  testify,  that  many  of  those  who 
joined  in  the  movement  with  Mr.  Cleveland  and  Dr.  Be- 
man, were  standing  on  the  seats,  and  some  on  the  backs 
of  the  pews ;  that  the  galleries  responded,  and  that  the 
whole  process  was  one  of  indescribable  confusion. 

It  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Edward  Beecher,  of  Jackson  Sem- 
inary, according  to  the  testimony  of  Samuel  P.  Wilson 
and  Jerome  Twitched,  who  returned  to  the  door,  after  the 


394  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

mass  of  the  New  School  had  retired,  and  repeated  the  an- 
nouncement that  the  General  Assembly  had  adjourned  to 
the  First  Church ;  the  same  being  proclaimed  by  another 
and  more  elderly  person  at  another  door.*  And  it  is  a 
noteworthy  fact,  as  the  testimony  shows,  that  the  most 
active  and  forward  men  in  this  odd  ecclesiastical  coup  de 
main  were  men  of  New  England  origin,  of  Congrega- 
tional prepossessions,  and  some  of  whom  afterwards  left  the 
New  School  Body  and  returned  whence  they  had  come. 

The  persons  who  thus  withdrew  repaired  to  Mr.  Barnes' 
church,  and  entered  upon  their  mission  as  a  separate  branch 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  General  Assembly,  after  the  withdrawal,  proceeded 
with  its  business,  and  from  that  time  forth  its  counsels 
were  marked  by  great  harmony,  and  its  enterprises  prose- 
cuted with  an  energy  previously  unknown. 

The  year  intervening  between  the  General  Assembly  of 
1837  and  that  of  1838,  was  of  course  a  year  of  prepara- 
tion, especially  on  the  part  of  the  New  School  party. 
Conventions  had  ceased  to  be,  in  their  estimation,  such 
disorderly  and  unconstitutional  gatherings,  and  they  held 
no  less  than  five  during  the  year :  one  in  Mr.  Barnes' 
church,  immediately  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Assem- 
bly of  1837;  another,  soon  after,  at  New  York;  a  third 
at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  on  the  17th  of  August ;  a  fourth  at  Ann 
Arbor,  Michigan,  at  the  close  of  the  same  month ;  and  a 
fifth  in  Mr.  Barnes'  church,  Philadelphia,  on  the  Monday 
evening  (May  14)  previous  to  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly 
of  1838. 

At  these,  and  especially  at  the  latter,  the  programme 
which  was  carried  out  on  the  morning  of  the  17th  was 
definitely  settled  upon,  and  the  dramatis  personce  selected. 
The  Old  School  also  held  a  convention,  at  the  same  time, 

*  Miller's  Report  of  Church  Case,  pp.  173,  175,  177,  181. 


PASTORAL    LETTER    TO    THE    CHURCHES. 


395 


in  Ranstead  Court.  The  former  sent  a  deputation  to  the 
latter,  proposing  "  to  open  a  friendly  correspondence,  for 
the  purpose  of  ascertaining  if  some  constitutional  terms  of 
pacification  might  not  be  agreed  upon."  But  as,  in  their 
communication,  they  assumed  that  the  disowning  acts  were 
unconstitutional,  and  the  Old  School  refused  to  admit  that 
they  were  so,  no  understanding  was  reached.  The  results 
have  been  mentioned  above. 

The  General  Assembly  was,  of  course,  placed  under  the 
necessity  of  taking  such  measures  as  were  called  for  by  this 
new  state  of  things,  and  they  proceeded  to  do  it  with  great 
calmness,  deliberation,  and  wisdom.  They  first  placed 
upon  record,  after  calling  the  roll,  the  names  of  those  com- 
missioners who,  having  been  enrolled,  had  gone  off,  and 
directed  that  they  be  reported  to  their  several  Presbyteries. 
They  then  appointed  a  Committee  to  report  measures  for 
the  pacification  of  the  church,  the  adjustment  of  all  ques- 
tions that  might  arise,  and  changes  that  might  be  required 
by  the  dismemberment. 

This  Committee,  of  which  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckenridge  was 
the  chairman,  reported  a  voluminous  paper,  marked  by 
great  forecast  and  practical  wisdom,  prescribing  methods 
for  the  details  of  separation,  such  as  would  secure  adhe- 
rence to  the  church  of  all  really  Presbyterian  and  congenial 
elements,  and  facilitate  the  withdrawal  of  such  as  could 
not  be  amicably  and  constitutionally  retained.  A  long 
and  well-considered  pastoral  letter  was  also  proposed,  and 
addressed  to  the  churches,  reciting  the  events  that  had  oc- 
curred, and  exhorting  to  the  exercise  of  Christian  wisdom 
and  charity  in  the  trying  circumstances  in  which  the  church 
was  now  placed. 

The  carrying  out  of  the  acts  of  the  Assembly,  in  the 
several  Synods  and  Presbyteries,  was  attended  with  some 
practical  difficulties,  in  those  Synods  especially  in  which 
there  was  an  admixture  of  the  two  parties.     In  the  Synod 


396  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

of  New  Jersey,  of  which  Dr.  Junkin  was  a  member,  there 
was  some  embarrassment  in  the  enforcing  of  the  Assem- 
bly's behests.     A  part  of  that  Synod  was  New  School,  and 
yet  the  New  Theology  had  not  spread  to  such  an  extent  as 
it  had  in  other  quarters.     Many  of  the  men  who  were  de- 
cidedly with  the  New  School  in  feeling  and  action,  were 
considered   sound   and  valuable   men;    and   the    "middle 
men"  of  the  Synod,  pretty  numerous  as  they  were,  seem 
to  have  clung  to  the  hope  that,  by  treating  the  New  School 
Presbyteries  with  forbearance,  they  might   be  induced   to 
remain  with  the  General  Assembly.     In  this  hope  the  de- 
cided Old  School  men  did  not  share.      They  knew  that 
conciliation  would  be  thrown  away,  and  that  a  failure  to 
carry  out  the  directions  of  the  General  Assembly  would 
only  lead  to  injurious  complications,  without  any  counter- 
vailing benefit.     The  Presbyteries  of  Montrose,  Newark, 
and  a  few  churches  and  pastors  in  other  Presbyteries,  ex- 
pected and  intended  to  go  out ;  but  they  came  to  the  Synod, 
were  enrolled,  and  awaited   the  process  of    "excision." 
Their  policy,  as  was  supposed,  was  to  get  put  out,  and,  if 
possible,  in  a  way  to  secure  to  themselves  the  popular  sym- 
pathy.    A  large  portion  of  the  Synod  wished  to  avoid  this 
process,  and  let  them  go  out  at  their  own  convenience.    Dr. 
Junkin  was  in  favor  of  simple  straightforward  obedience  to 
the  directions  of  the  Assembly;  and  when  a  set  of  resolu- 
tions of  a  delaying  and,  as  he  considered,  a  temporizing 
character  were  proposed,  he  opposed  them  earnestly.     He 
considered  them  as  nullifying  the  acts  of  the  Assembly, 
and  jeoparding   the  very  existence  of  the    Synod ;    and 
when  they  were  passed,   he  withdrew  from  the  body  and 
went  home. 

The  friends  of  these  resolutions  discovered,  when  too 
late,  that  Dr.  Junkin  was  right  in  his  prognostications; 
that,  so  far  from  being  conciliated  by  these  measures,  the 
New  School  members  both  voted  against  them,  and  pre- 


RESULTS   OF   THE  DISRUPTION. 


397 


sented  a  protest  against  them,  in  which  they  entered  into 
an  argument  to  prove  that  the  General  Assembly  to  which 
this  Synod  adhered  was  not  a  "valid  Assembly,"  nor  the 
Synod  itself,  thus  adhering  to  said  Assembly,  a  "valid" 
Synod.  The  writer  of  this  book  had  gone  with  the  majority 
of  the  Synod  (a  small  one)  in  adopting  the  conciliatory 
minute,  differing  from  his  brother  upon  this  question ; 
but  was  afterwards  convinced  that  obedience  to  the  supreme 
judicatory  would  have  been  the  wiser  course.  It  was  a 
time  of  great  perplexity  and  of  much  excitement,  and  good 
men  did  not  know  which  policy  was  the  best. 

The  results  of  the  disruption  of  the  church  have  been  in 
part  stated  in  a  former  chapter.  A  few  additional  effects 
of  it  may  now,  with  propriety,  be  indicated,  as  illustrating 
the  wonderful  kindness  of  the  Head  of  the  Church  in  over- 
ruling present  evils  so  as  to  make  them  productive  of  greater 
good,  and  as  vindicating  the  course  pursued  in  these  agi- 
tations by  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  and  those  great  and 
good  men  with  whom  he  acted. 

Doctrinal  and  ecclesiastical  controversy,  if  not  evil  in 
itself,  is  apt  to  evolve  serious  evils  by  reason  of  the  infirmi- 
ties of  the  men  who  engage  in  it.  Controversy  is  a  neces- 
sary condition  of  the  mission  of  the  church  of  God  in  this 
world.  That  mission  is  essentially  aggressive.  The  church, 
in  the  present  state,  is  militant.  Conquest  is  her  aim, — 
the  conquest  of  a  world  that  is  in  a  state  of  rebellion 
against  God  and  His  Christ.  And  until  the  last  rebel  is 
subdued,  the  controversy  between  light  and  darkness,  holi- 
ness and  sin,  God  and  Satan,  the  church  and  her  foes,  must 
go  on.  In  this  warfare  it  is  sadly,  eminently  true,  as  pre- 
dicted by  the  Great  Captain,  that  "a  man's  foes  shall  be 
they  of  his  own  household."  It  has  been  the  misfortune 
and  the  sin  of  the  Christian  brotherhood  that  they  will 
often  "fallout  by  the  way."  Disputes  arise  about  drill, 
and   discipline,    the    weapons    and    the   material    of    the 

34 


398  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

warfare,  and  the  best  modes  of  using  them ;  and  hence  the 
ranks  are  often  thrown  into  disorder,  and  instead  of  bat- 
tling with  the  common  foe,  they  get  into  contention  with 
one  another. 

The  great  instrument  of  conquest  is  "the  sword  of  the 
Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God," — truth.  No  other 
weapon  will  avail  to  gain  a  single  valuable  victory.  "Sanc- 
tify them  through  thy  truth :  thy  word  is  truth. ' '  And  just  in 
proportion  as  truth  is  perverted  or  amalgamated  with  error, 
is  the  temper  of  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  impaired,  and  its 
edge  blunted.  Knowing  this,  the  Spirit  of  inspiration  has 
commanded  his  ministers  to  "earnestly  contend  for  the 
faith  which  was  once  delivered  to  the  saints."*  And  if 
some  of  them  are  not  contented  with  the  faith  thus  once 
delivered,  and  think  they  can  improve  it,  and  make  the 
effort,  upon  them  rests  the  responsibility  of  inaugurating 
controversy. 

Controversy  between  professed  believers  is  an  almost 
unmitigated  evil ;  but  the  blame  of  it  rests  upon  the 
errorist,  not  upon  the  defender  of  the  faith.  And  yet  the 
world  is  apt  to  reproach  the  defender  of  the  faith,  who 
resists  the  propagation  of  error,  as  the  author  of  all  the 
disturbance  occasioned  by  religious  controversy.  It  has 
not  unfrequently  occurred,  in  the  history  of  the  church, 
that  the  faithful  men  who  stand  for  truth  and  purity,  are 
traduced  for  their  very  faithfulness,  whilst  the  errorists, 
whom  they  opposed,  are  the  objects  of  public  sympathy 
whilst  they  live,  and  the  subjects  of  eulogy,  and  almost  of 
apotheosis,  when  they  die. 

In  the  controversies  that  resulted  in  the  sundering  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  1838,  there  was  no  doubt  much  on 
both  sides  that  was  to  be  deplored.  Ministers  and  elders 
are  men  of  like  passions  with  others,  and  it  would  not  have 

*  Jude  3. 


LOYALTY  TO    THE   STANDARDS. 


399 


been  reasonable  to  expect,  nor  would  it  now  be  historical 
truth  to  record,  that  there  were  no  unhappy  exhibitions  of 
human  temper  and  conduct  in  the  progress  of  the  conflict. 
There  was  much  more  than  it  is  deemed  necessary  to  record. 
The  rules  of  manly  and  Christian  contest  were  not  always 
observed.  Those  who  strove  for  the  mastery  did  not  always 
strive  lawfully ;  and  sometimes  there  were  departures  from 
magnanimity  and  fair  dealing,  which,  no  doubt,  the  men 
themselves  lived  to  deplore.  But  in  view  of  all  that  was 
wrong  and  humiliating,  facts,  already  developed  in  the 
results  of  the  struggle,  warrant  the  belief  that  greater  good, 
to  both  branches  of  the  church,  and  now  to  the  whole 
church  reunited,  has  been  brought  out  of  these  agitations, 
than  probably  would  have  been  reached  without  them. 

The  opinion  has  already  been  expressed,  and  the  facts 
adduced  to  support  it,  that  doctrinal  error,  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  had  reached  its  aphelion  at  the  termination 
of  the  Barnes  trial ;  and  that  ever  since,  either  by  the  force 
of  conviction  or  the  force  of  circumstances,  there  has  been 
a  gradual  return  towards  the  truth,  until  now,  with  a  few 
eccentric  exceptions,  the  church  and  her  ministry  move  in 
the  normal  orbit.  The  Assembly  that  restored  Mr.  Barnes 
to  the  exercise  of  his  ministry  felt  constrained,  either  by 
conviction  or  policy, — we  decide  not  which, — to  make  a 
most  explicit  declaration  of  loyalty  to  the  Standards.  And 
even  if  we  surmise  that,  with  some  of  the  leaders,  it  was  a 
matter  of  policy,  it  would  be  uncharitable  to  suppose  that 
this  motive  could  pervade  the  whole  body  of  the  majority. 
The  strong  presumption  is  that  the  larger  number  of  the 
New  School  brethren  joined  in  that  declaration  sincerely, 
and  felt  bound,  as  candid  men,  to  make  it  good  in  their 
future  preaching  and  practice.  And  even  the  leaders  would 
be  restrained  from  language  and  conduct  inconsistent  with 
the  declaration  ;  for  a  contrary  course  would  have  shaken 
the  confidence  of  their  followers  in  their  integrity.     In 


400  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

truth,  even  those  men  felt  that  the  declarations  in  which 
they  had  joined,  held  them  to  a  more  respectful  treatment 
of  the  Confession  and  the  Form  of  Government  than  they 
had  been  accustomed  to  render. 

And  after  the  disruption,  and  the  formation  of  the 
"  Constitutional"  General  Assembly,  and  particularly  after 
the  suit  at  Law  was  commenced,  all  the  external  circum- 
stances of  the  New  School  body  operated  in  a  direction 
favorable  to  the  Standards.  A  body  claiming,  par  excellence, 
to  be  the  "Constitutional  General  Assembly"  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  would  feel  especially  called  upon  to  treat 
the  Constitution  with  respect,  and  to  avoid  all  appearance 
of  violating  its  provisions.  A  body  claiming  the  control 
of  the  property  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  as  the  Assem- 
bly in  legal  succession,  must  be  careful  to  respect  the  doc- 
trine and  order  which  the  world  knew  that  church  had 
always  maintained.  And  although  it  was  not  in  all  cases 
done,  yet- the  necessities  of  their  position  created  a  tend- 
ency in  a  right  direction.  And  when  it  is  remembered, 
that  the  great  mass  of  them  were  sound,  good  men,  who 
had  been  led  into  the  attitude  which  they  occupied  by  the 
accident  of  position,  the  force  of  an  amiable,  if  misplaced, 
sympathy,  and  by  the  shrewd  management  of  adroit  and 
able  leaders,  the  return  to  "the  old  paths"  will  appear  to 
have  been  inevitable.  Besides,  these  circumstances  which 
trammelled  the  energies  of  those  who  were  desirous  of 
revolutionizing  the  church,  at  the  same  time  strengthened 
the  hands  of  the  large  portion  of  the  body  which  was 
really  Presbyterian,  and  gave  them  the  ascendency. 

It  is  also  undoubtedly  true,  that  the  agitating  discussions 
of  the  doctrinal  questions  roused  men's  minds  to  fresh  in- 
quiry, stimulated  thought  and  research,  and  led  to  a  more 
thorough  comparison  of  the  system  of  doctrines  laid  down 
in  the  Standards  with  the  Bible,  and  all  this  promoted  the 
spread  of  sound  principles,  and  the  triumph  of  truth. 


RESULTS   OF   THE    GREAT  STRUGGLE.  401 

The  discussion  of  constitutional  questions  of  church 
order  also  led  to  a  more  thorough  understanding  and  a 
higher  appreciation  of  our  admirable  system  of  govern- 
ment. And  when,  at  last,  the  force  of  that  system  was 
exhibited  in  the  measures  of  reform,  and  a  demonstration 
was  made  of  the  recuperative  energy  of  Presbyterianism, 
the  confidence  of  the  sons  of  the  church  in  her  system  of 
government  was  increased,  whilst  those  who  had  taunted 
her  with  the  charge  of  imbecility  were  forced  to  recall 
their  sneers. 

There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt,  that  what  the  storm 
does  for  the  atmosphere  the  great  struggle  for  truth  and 
order  did  for  the  Presbyterian  Church, — restored  purity, 
health,  and  vigor.  By  that  struggle,  a  tendency  to  doc- 
trinal error,  laxity  in  discipline,  and  extravagance  in 
measures,  was  certainly  arrested.  And  ever  since  the  cul- 
minating moment  both  branches  have  been  waxing  stronger 
in  the  Lord.  If  there  was  "dead  orthodoxy"  in  the  Old 
School,  the  Spirit  of  God  made  use  of  the  agitation  to 
quicken  it  to  life.  If  there  was  a  disposition  in  the  New 
School  to  charge  the  church's  inefficiency  upon  her  ortho- 
doxy, and  to  adopt  some  modifications  of  sound  doctrine, 
with  a  view  to  make  truth  more  palatable  to  the  carnal 
mind,  in  order  to  facilitate  conversions,  the  danger  and 
inexpediency  of  the  experiment  were  exposed  ;  and  from 
the  moment  of  the  culmination  of  the  struggle  there  was 
a  palpable  abandonment  of  the  specious  schemes,  and  a 
gradual  return  to  that  truth  which  only  is  the  instrument 
of  salvation. 

It  is  on  record  that  the  New  School  branch,  on  all  proper 
occasions,  began  to  testify  in  favor  of  the  Standards 
and  the  Constitution  ;  and  whilst  they  claimed  a  certain 
latitude  of  interpretation,  and  showed  a  disposition  to 
tolerate  sporadic  cases  of  error,  which  the  Old  School  did 
not,  still   there  was  a  steady  return  towards  the  point  of 

34* 


402  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

original  divergence.  It  is  on  record,  and  in  stereotype, 
that  Dr.  Beecher  and  Mr.  Barnes  modified  their  publica- 
tions, so  as  to  make  them  less  objectionable  to  the  ortho- 
dox. In  regard  to  the  latter  it  was  plead  in  his  behalf, 
at  his  trial  before  the  General  Assembly,  that  he  had  made 
these  alterations;  and  although  these  changes  did  not  meet 
the  wishes  of  the  Old  School,  still  they  made  his  publica- 
tions less  objectionable.  And  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that, 
after  the  reunion,  that  distinguished  writer  considerately 
withdrew  such  of  his  doctrinal  books  as  were  published 
by  the  "Committee  of  Publication,"  so  as  to  disembar- 
rass the  united  Board  of  Publication  in  the  readjustment 
of  their  catalogue.* 

The  whole  result  is  that  the  two  branches,  whilst 
apart,  probably  made  more  effective  aggressive  progress 
than  they  would  have  done  had  they  remained  united, — 
certainly  more  than  they  would  if  they  had  continued 
together  in  a  state  of  internal  war.  Sound  Presbyterianism 
was  revived,  both  as  regards  doctrine  and  order.  A  glo- 
rious Foreign  Missionary  enterprise  was  begun  by  the  Old 
School.  The  New  School,  in  the  progress  of  events,  were 
relieved  of  many  disturbing  and  enfeebling  elements  by 
the  sloughing  off,  or  the  assimilation,  of  Congregational 
material.  By  this  process  they  became  more  thoroughly 
Presbyterian,  and  at  the  same  time  more  homogeneous 
and  effective  as  an  ecclesiastical  organization.  And  when 
the  great  Head  of  the  Church  had,  by  means  of  these 

*  Since  the  above  was  written,  the  following  notice  of  the  tenth  edition 
of  the  NOTES  ON  Romans  appeared  in  the  Presbyterian  of  April  15,  1871 : 

"  This  book  created  at  its  first  appearance  an  immense  excitement,  and 
helped  forward  the  division  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Its  reappearance 
will  not  make  a  ripple  on  the  surface.  Mr.  Barnes  made  a  number  of 
changes  in  the  fifth  edition,  and  rewrote  some  pages,  withdrawing  many 
words  and  phrases  which  had  given  offence.  He  left  standing,  however, 
many  erroneous  interpretations,  and  some  which  no  change  but  entire 
abandonment  would  cure." 


UNION  IN  THE    TRUTH. 


403 


agitations,  purged  both  branches,  so  as  to  fit  them  for 
bearing  more  and  better  fruit,  He  prepared  the  way,  in  His 
wondrous  providence,  for  reingrafting  both  into  the  same 
old  stock,  to  the  praise  of  the  glory  of  His  grace.  Unity 
and  peace  in  the  truth  is  the  grand  result ! 

And  this  was  the  end  set  forth  by  George  Junkin,  in 
his  first  letter  to  Mr.  Barnes,  proposing  an  amicable  trial 
of  the  doctrinal  issue.  "The  object  is  peace  through 
union  in  the  Truth  !"  Let  the  fair  and  candid  philoso- 
pher of  history  decide,  in  view  of  all  the  recorded  events, 
whether  that  "object"  has  been  gained.  And  whilst 
his  biographer  asks  nothing  for  the  subject  of  this  memoir, 
except  that  justice  which  a  consideration  of  his  self-deny- 
ing, faithful,  and  arduous  services  in  the  cause  of  truth  and 
order  demands,  he  cannot  doubt  that  his  memory  will  long 
live  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  love  the  purity  and  peace 
of  Zion. 

"  What  hath  God  wrought !"  A  glorious  union  in  the 
truth,  upon  the  simple  basis  of  our  Standards,  has  been 
reached  ; — one  of  the  most  wonderful  events  in  the  history 
of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Is  the  history  of  this  union  to 
be  written,  and  the  causes  which  rendered  it  necessary  ig- 
nored ?  Can  that  history  be  fairly,  truthfully  written, 
whilst  the  causes  which  produced  that  homogeneousness  in 
doctrine  and  order,  which  rendered  a  reunion  possible  and 
desirable,  lie  unnoticed  and  unexplained  ?  Are  events  of 
any  value  upon  the  pages  of  history,  if  the  agents  and 
causes  by  which  they  were  accomplished  are  either  un- 
mentioned  or  misrepresented  ? 

Whilst,  then,  all  the  glory  of  the  present  happy  condi- 
tion of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  America  is  ascribed  to 
the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  it  would  be  wrong  to  with- 
hold from  the  faithful  and  self-sacrificing  men,  who  were 
instruments  in  working  out  these  results,  that  grateful  con- 
sideration to  which  their  toils  entitle  them. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

College  Labors — Lectures  on  the  Prophecies — Discouragements  in  College 
Enterprise — Prof.  Cunningham  returns  to  Europe — Dr.  Junkin  elected 
President  of  Miami  University — Accepts — Aids  in  obtaining  a  Successor 
at  Lafayette — Departure  from  Easton — Enters  upon  Duty  at  Oxford — 
Peculiarities  of  the  Position — Opposition — Inaugural  Address  and  Cere- 
monies— Dr.  Johns — Sectarian  Jealousies  and  other  Embarrassments — A 
Newspaper  War — Progress. 

AFTER  the  termination  of  the  agitations  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  by  the  disruption  of  1838,  the 
labors  of  Dr.  Junkin  were  chiefly  bestowed  upon  the.  Col- 
lege, upon  his  editorial  engagements,  and  upon  some  liter- 
ary undertakings,  to  be  mentioned  in  their  proper  place. 
He  abated  not  his  toils  in  preaching  Christ.  Not  only  in 
the  regular  service  kept  up  in  the  College  Hall,  but  in  the 
pulpit  of  Dr.  Gray,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Easton,  in  other  pulpits  in  that  city,  in  the  pulpit  of 
Greenwich,  N.  J.  (his  brother's),  and  in  many  others,  he 
was  a  frequent  and  a  welcome  visitor.  For  a  considerable 
period  he  supplied  the  first-mentioned  church,  during  the 
illness  of  its  pastor,  and  he  was  ever  ready  to  lend  assist- 
ance to  his  brethren,  and  all  these  services  were  gratuitously 
rendered. 

It  was  during  the  year  1839-40  that  the  course  of  lec- 
tures on  the  prophecies,  afterwards  published,  were  first 
delivered  from  the  pulpit.  The  Rev.  Dr.  B.  C.  Wolff,  of 
the  German  Reformed  Church  of  Easton,  being  engaged 
in  an  effort  to  endow  a  literary  institution  connected  with 
his  own  church,  was  much  absent  from  home,  and  he  in- 
vited Dr.  Junkin  to  occupy  his  pulpit  statedly  during  his 
(  404  ) 


LECTURES   ON   THE   PROPHECIES. 


4o5 


absence.  The  lectures  on  the  prophecies  were  delivered  on 
the  afternoons  of  Sabbaths  in  that  church,  the  students  of 
the  College  attending  with  the  congregation.  The  large 
edifice  was  usually  crowded  ;  and  the  discourses  produced 
a  profound  sensation.  They  were  subsequently  delivered 
at  Miami  University,  and  published,  by  request,  in  an 
octavo  volume.  The  request  for  their  publication  came 
from  the  people,  who  had  first  heard  them  at  Easton,  and 
who  desired  to  see  them  placed  in  a  more  enduring  form. 
Books  upon  the  prophecies,  with  scarce  an  exception, 
rarely  go  to  a  second  edition.  The  very  nature  of  the 
subjects  treated  in  them  unfits  them  for  the  mass  of  readers, 
and  confines  their  circulation  to  the  ranks  of  the  learned 
and  the  curious.  The  edition  of  "Junkin  on  the  Prophe- 
cies" was  large,  but  was  soon  exhausted,  and  it  is  now  out 
of  print.  But  if  those  who  possess  the  book  will  take  the 
pains  to  examine  its  interpretations  of  the  prophecies  of 
Daniel  and  of  John,  they  will  be  surprised  at  the  accuracy 
with  which  events  that  have  since  transpired — some  of 
them  since  the  author's  death — were  indicated.  With 
great  modesty,  yet  with  much  confidence,  he  had  fixed  the 
dates  of  the  downfall  of  the  temporal  power  of  the  Papacy, 
and  of  the  powers  that  upheld  it,  as  he  supposed  them  to 
be  foretold ;  and  events  have  literally  vindicated  his 
correctness. 

Passages  of  the  truest  and  most  thrilling  eloquence  are 
found  in  these  lectures ;  and,  as  a  gentleman  of  high  liter- 
ary culture  once  remarked  to  the  present  writer,  "There  is 
no  book  known  to  me  that  contains,  in  such  small  compass, 
so  perspicuous  a  diorama  of  universal  history."  It  is  also 
rich  in  thought,  and  a  mine  of  suggestive  ideas. 

The  College,  notwithstanding  its  lack  of  endowment, 
increased  in  the  number  of  its  students,  in  its  general  effi- 
ciency, and  in  reputation.  The  Normal  School  for  a  time 
was  successful,  but  did  not  ultimately  realize  the  expecta- 


4o6  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

tions  of  its  founders.  This  was  attributable  chiefly  to  three 
causes: — First,  the  locality;  being  upon  a  lofty  eminence 
overlooking  the  city  of  Easton,  and  difficult  of  access  for 
such  scholars  as  usually  make  up  a  common  school.  Second, 
the  want  of  an  endowment,  by  which  gratuitous  tuition 
could  be  offered  to  candidates  for  the  office  of  teacher, 
such  persons  usually  belonging  to  the  impecunious  classes. 
And  third,  the  popular  mind  had  not  yet  been  educated  up 
to  that  point  which  would  encourage  candidates  for  the 
profession  of  teacher  to  duly  prepare  themselves  for  it. 
Well-qualified  teachers  were  not  so  much  in  demand  as 
cheap  teachers ;  and  it  is  a  law  of  production  that  supply 
will  not  go  in  advance  of  demand.  The  truth  was,  that 
Dr.  Junkin  and  Prof.  Cunningham  were  many  years  in 
advance  of  their  times ;  and  they  did  not  possess  the  pecu- 
niary ability  to  sustain  the  institution  until  public  sentiment 
might  overtake  them.  The  Normal  School  edifice  was 
completed  in  the  summer  of  1838,  and  the  institution 
inaugurated  as  soon  as  it  was  ready.  The  publication  of 
"The  Educator'''  had  been  commenced  shortly  before. 
Both  were  continued  until  the  summer  of  1840,  when  Prof. 
Cunningham,  becoming  discouraged  by  the  backward  state 
of  public  sentiment  in  America  upon  the  subject  of  edu- 
cation, resigned  his  position,  and  returned  to  Scotland. 
Dr.  Junkin  continued  the  effort  to  establish  a  Normal  Insti- 
tute in  connection  with  the  College  until  the  time  of  his 
translation  to  the  Presidency  of  Miami  University.  The 
period  of  that  translation  was  now  approaching. 

The  Miami  University,  at  Oxford,  Butler  County,  Ohio, 
had  been  established  about  1823,  in  pursuance  of  a  gift  by 
the  United  States  to  the  State  of  Ohio  of  a  township  of 
land  in  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Miami,  for  the  purpose  of 
founding  a  literary  institution.  The  venerable  Dr.  Robert 
H.  Bishop,  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  a  man  of  mature  erudi- 
tion, was  inaugurated  its  first  President,  July  9,  1824.  But, 


ELECTED  PRESIDENT  OF  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY. 


407 


by  reason  of  age  and  infirmity,  he  had  resigned  the  situa- 
tion in  1840;  and  the  Board  of  Trustees  had  elected  Dr. 
Junkin  to  the  office  in  the  winter  of  1841.  This  tender 
was  wholly  unsought  by  him,  and  the  question  of  accept- 
ing it  occasioned  him  great  perplexity.  His  heart  was  in 
Lafayette.  There  his  toils,  and  tears,  and  prayers,  and 
sacrifices  had  consecrated  in  his  affections  the  entire  insti- 
tution, and  even  the  locality  itself.  His  fondest  hopes 
were  centred  in  its  success.  The  very  idea  of  abandoning 
it  was  painful  in  the  extreme.  For  eight  years  he  had 
struggled,  amid  appalling  discouragements,  to  secure  its 
establishment.  A  part  of  his  private  fortune  was  locked 
up  in  its  edifices  and  appliances ;  and  the  institution  had 
now  attained  such  a  position  as  to  command  public  respect 
and  confidence. 

But  the  invitation  from  Miami  University  came  to  him 
at  a  time  when,  in  addition  to  the  difficulties  of  building 
up  a  college  without  adequate  endowment,  and  without 
effective  co-operation,  embarrassments  from  an  unexpected 
quarter  had  arisen.  It  would  not  be  profitable  to  go  into 
the  details  of  a  college  difficulty,  in  which  the  general 
reader  would  feel  little  interest,  and  nothing  more  will  be 
narrated  than  what  is  necessary  to  account  for  the  fact,  that 
a  man  of  Dr.  Junkin's  energy  and  persistence  should  leave 
a  field  of  labor  to  which  he  was  so  fondly  devoted,  in 
which  he  had  been  so  successful,  and  which  seemed  to 
promise  so  hopefully  for  the  future. 

The  gentlemen  composing  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
College  were  resident  in  different  places,  some  at  a  distance 
from  Easton,  in  Philadelphia,  and  other  places.  But  in 
that  town  there  were  so  many  of  the  trustees  resident  as  to 
constitute  usually  a  majority  of  all  in  attendance  at  any 
one  time.  Of  these,  none  had  ever  enjoyed  the  advantages 
of  a  college  education,  and  few  of  them  had  any  practical 
knowledge  of  the  working  of  such  an  institution.    Indeed, 


4o8  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JVNKIN. 

there  were  but  a  few  of  them  that  took  any  decided  in- 
terest in  the  College.  These  were  energetic  friends  of  the 
institution,  so  far  as  personal  influence  was  concerned, 
although  none  had  made  any  large  pecuniary  advances.  In 
a  body  of  men  such  as  composed  this  Board,  it  could  not 
be  expected  that  proper  ideas  of  college  discipline  would 
prevail ;  and  it  so  happened,  that  a  student,  a  near  relative 
of  two  or  three  members  of  the  Board  who  had  previously 
been  very  active  and  efficient  friends  of  the  College,  became 
a  subject  of  discipline  by  the  Faculty.  He  had  gotten  into  a 
personal  encounter  with  another  student  in  the  refectory, 
and  had  used  a  knife,  slightly  wounding  his  antagonist. 
The  matter  was  investigated  by  the  Faculty,  and  the  of- 
fender was  temporarily  suspended  from  College  privileges, 
until  he  should  make  suitable  expressions  of  regret  for  his 
conduct.  This,  it  was  understood,  he  was  inclined  to  do, 
under  the  advice  of  an  older  brother,  also  a  student,  and 
judicious  and  thoughtful  beyond  his  years.  But  parties 
outside  of  the  College  interposed,  and  the  result  was,  that 
the  influential  relatives  of  the  censured  student,  instead  of 
advising  him  to  submit  to  the  mild  sentence  of  the  College 
authorities,  counselled  a  contrary  course,  and  a  serious 
spirit  of  opposition  to  the  Faculty  was  awakened  in  these 
prominent  members  of  the  Board. 

This  feeling  of  resentment  was  carried  so  far,  by  the 
friends  of  the  recusant  student,  that  pupils  on  their  way 
to  Lafayette  were  dissuaded  from  coming,  by  their  influ- 
ence, and  persuaded  to  go  elsewhere.  By  the  same  influ- 
ence, such  a  construction  was  put  upon  a  law  of  the  State, 
by  which  an  annual  sum  had  been  appropriated  to  the  use 
of  the  College,  that  this  appropriation  was  withheld  from 
the  current  expenses  of  the  Institution,  to  which  it  had  pre- 
viously been  given.  These,  and  other  efforts  of  a  hostile 
character,  added  to  the  previous  pecuniary  difficulties  with 
which  he  had  been  struggling,  so  discouraged  the  President, 


OBTAINING  A    SUCCESSOR  AT  LAFAYETTE. 


409 


that  he  came  reluctantly  to  the  conclusion,  that  it  was  his 
duty  to  resign  to  other  hands  the  enterprise  which  he  had 
sustained  through  so  many  years  of  toil  and  trial.  It  is 
due  to  the  President  to  say,  in  this  connection,  that  whilst 
in  the  Faculty  he  advised  the  mildest  sentence,  at  all  con- 
sistent with  discipline,  yet,  when  the  decision  of  the  Faculty 
was  made,  he  sustained  and  carried  it  out  with  his  accus- 
tomed quiet  firmness. 

But  although  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  tear  himself 
away  from  his  "lovely  Lafayette,"  his  interest  in  her 
flagged  not  for  a  moment.  It  was  his  wish  that,  if  possible 
before  he  left,  a  successor  should  be  obtained.  Several 
names  were  suggested  to  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and,  among 
others,  those  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  James  W.  Alexander,  at  that 
time  connected  with  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  and  the  Rev. 
John  W.  Yeomans,  then  of  Trenton,  N.  J.  It  was  agreed 
that  Dr.  Junkin  should  repair  first  to  Princeton,  to  see 
Dr.  Alexander,  and,  if  he  was  found  not  available,  then 
to  Trenton,  to  confer  with  Mr.  Yeomans.  This  he  did ; 
and  the  writer  well  remembers,  that  upon  a  bleak  and 
stormy  winter  day,  his  indefatigable  brother  stopped  at 
the  Manse  of  Greenwich,  on  his  way  to  Princeton,  in  his 
own  private  conveyance,  over  impracticable  roads,  upon 
this  disinterested  mission  for  the  College. 

Dr.  Alexander  peremptorily  declined,  from  considera- 
tions of  health  and  other  reasons,  to  entertain  the  proposal 
to  become  head  of  the  College ;  and  from  Princeton  Dr. 
Junkin  repaired  to  Trenton,  where  he  labored  to  show  to 
Mr.  Yeomans  that  Lafayette  College  offered  a  fine  field  of 
usefulness  for  a  gentleman  of  culture  and  energy.  His 
mission  to  Trenton  was  more  successful ;  for  although  Mr. 
Yeomans  gave  no  pledge  of  acceptance,  he  consented  to 
take  the  matter  into  consideration. 

The  result  was,  that  Mr.  (afterwards  Dr.)  Yeomans  was 
chosen  President  of  the  College,  made  a  visit  of  inquiry 

35 


4io  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

and  observation  to  Easton,  and  ultimately  became  Presi- 
dent ;  so  that  there  was  no  embarrassing  hiatus  between 
the  departure  of  Dr.  Junkin  and  the  arrival  of  his  successor. 

Meanwhile,  and  indeed  previous  to  his  going  to  Prince- 
ton and  Trenton,  Dr.  Junkin  had  visited  Miami  Univer- 
sity, with  a  view  to  decide  the  question  of  accepting  its 
Presidency,  and  the  visit  resulted  in  an  affirmative  deci- 
sion. 

It  was  the  30th  of  March,  1841,  when,  with  his  family, 
he  departed  from  Easton  for  his  future  field  of  labor  in  the 
Valley  of  Miami.  At  that  time  there  was  no  railroad  con- 
nection between  Easton  and  Philadelphia,  and  a  recent 
storm  and  high  waters  had  made  the  ordinary  connection, 
by  stage-coaches,  impracticable.  Both  the  Delaware  and 
the  Lehigh  were  swollen  beyond  their  banks,  and  on  a 
Monday  morning  a  small  fleet  of  "  Durham  boats"  was 
about  to  depart  for  Philadelphia,  one  of  which  had  been 
comfortably  fitted  up  for  the  accommodation  of  Dr.  Jun- 
kin's  family,  and  perhaps  a  few  others  that  availed  them- 
selves of  that  novel  mode  of  transportation.  The  boats 
were  to  depart  at  an  early  hour,  in  order  to  reach  the  city 
with  daylight.  His  farewell  discourse  had  been  delivered 
the  preceding  Sabbath  to  tearful  crowds;*  but,  anxious  to 


*  We  find,  among  Dr.  Junkin's  papers,  in  the  handwriting  of  the  late  Rev. 
John  Gray,  D.D.,  the  following  Ode,  written  by  the  gifted  wife  of  the  latter, 
Mrs.  Gray,  and  sung  by  the  choir  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Easton,  at 
the  close  of  Dr.  Junkin's  farewell  sermon.  The  latter  knew  nothing  of  it 
until  they  began  to  sing  : 


PARTING    HYMN. 

1.  Brother,  go,  the  Master  calls  thee 
Other  duties  to  fulfil ; 
Well  we  know,  whate'er  befalls  thee, 
'Tis  thy  joy  to  do  His  will. 


( 


DEPARTURE   FROM  E ASTON.  41 1 

take  a  last  look  of  the  man  and  the  family  that  had  won  such 
a  deep  place  in  their  affections,  a  large  concourse  of  the  citi- 
zens, male  and  female,  old  and  young,  thronged  the  north 
bank  of  the  Lehigh,*  where  the  boat  lay,  to  greet  with  a  sor- 
rowful farewell  the  man  whose  departure  from  their  midst 
was  felt  to  be  a  public  loss.  The  morning  had  been  cloudy 
and  threatened  rain  ;  but  that  did  not  deter  the  people  from 
thronging  to  the  shore.  After  a  few  words  of  farewell, 
addressed  by  a  gentleman  present  to  Dr.  Junkin  and  his 


Hark  !  He  calls  thee  ; 
Go,  obey  thy  Master's  will ! 

2.  Shall  we  from  this  sacred  altar, 

Hear  no  more  thy  warning  voice, 
Making  sternest  sinners  falter, 
Bidding  feeblest  saints  rejoice? 

Shall  we  never 
Hear  again  thy  warning  voice? 

3.  O  !  may  all  that  thou  hast  taught  us, 

Sink  each  melting  heart  within  ; 

How  the  gracious  Saviour  sought  us, 

Rescued  us  from  death  and  sin ! 

May  thy  lessons 
Sink  each  melting  heart  within  ! 

4.  Go  !  may  Jesus  guide  thy  going, 

May  He  be  where'er  thou  art ; 
May  His  love,  forever  flowing, 

Cheer,  refresh,  and  warm  thy  heart! 

May  His  presence 
Never  from  thy  soul  depart ! 

5.  And  where  no  farewell  is  spoken, 

Where  no  tear  the  cheek  shall  stain, 
Where  we  give  no  parting  token, 
There  shall  Christians  meet  again  ! 

Yes,  in  heaven, 
Saviour,  let  us  meet  again  ! 

*  The  Delaware  was  so  swollen  that  the  high  dam  of  the  Lehigh  was 
submerged. 


4i2  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

family  after  they  were  seated  in  the  boat,  the  Doctor  re- 
sponded in  a  short  speech  marked  by  much  feeling,  and  bade 
farewell.  The  boat  pushed  off,  and  was  soon  carried  by  the 
rapid  current  out  of  sight,  whilst  the  silent  and,  in  not  a 
few  cases,  the  sobbing  crowd,  waved  adieu.  Just  then  the 
sun  broke  brightly  through  the  clouds,  and  a  pleasant  day 
was  vouchsafed  to  the  voyagers.  This  demonstration  of 
the  popular  feeling  was  entirely  impromptu.  There  was  no 
pre-arrangement,  no  concert.  Everybody  seemed  surprised 
to  see  everybody  there ;  and  none  were  more  taken  by 
surprise  than  the  travellers  themselves.  It  was  a  spon- 
taneous throb  of  the  popular  heart ;  and,  as  the  people 
withdrew  to  their  homes  in  silent  sadness,  all  seemed 
to  feel  that  they  had  lost  a  friend. 

Dr.  Junkin  entered  upon  his  duties  as  President  of  Miami 
University  on  the  12th  of  April,  1841,  and  the  nth  of 
August  following  was  appointed  for  his  formal  inauguration. 
Upon  his  suggestion,  Prof.  James  C.  Moffat,  who  had  oc- 
cupied the  Chair  of  Languages  in  Lafayette  College,  was 
elected  to  the  Professorship  of  Latin  in  the  University ;  to 
which  was  soon  after  added  the  Professorship  of  History. 
Mr.  Moffat  accompanied  Dr.  Junkin  to  Oxford,  where  he 
remained  some  ten  years.  He  was  then  called  first  to 
Princeton  College,  and  afterwards  (1861)  elected  to  a 
chair  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  that  place.  He  is 
one  of  the  ripest  scholars  of  our  country. 

The  University  is  a  State  institution  ;  that  is,  it  is  under 
the  control  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  so  far 
as  that  the  Legislature  appoints  the  trustees  who  manage 
it.  When  the  University  was  at  first  organized,  a  Pres- 
byterian clergyman  was  appointed  president,  and  most 
of  the  professors  were  of  the  same  denomination.  Indeed, 
at  that  time,  no  other  religious  society  in  the  West 
could  supply  men  of  the  requisite  scholarship  in  sufficient 
numbers  to  man  the  colleges,  and  the  Presbyterians  were 


OPPOSITION. 


4*3 


the  people  who  exerted  the  broadest  influence  in  the  West, 
especially  in  the  matter  of  education.  In  this  remark  it  is 
designed  to  include  all  the  several  bodies  that  adopted  the 
Presbyterian  Form  of  Government. 

But,  about  the  time  Dr.  Bishop  resigned,  and  Dr.  Jun- 
kin  was  chosen  President,  other  denominations  of  Chris- 
tians had  risen  to  importance  in  the  Commonwealth  of 
Ohio,  both  in  point  of  numbers,  and  social  and  political 
influence;  and  some  degree  of  jealousy  had  begun  to  man- 
ifest itself  among  them,  that  the  Presbyterians  should  con- 
trol the  two  State  Universities,  at  Oxford  and  at  Athens. 
Besides  this,  the  Presbyterians  were  now  divided  into  Old 
and  New  School,  and,  whilst  the  former  predominated  in 
the  region  of  which  Miami  University  was  the  literary 
centre,  the  latter  possessed  very  considerable  influence. 

It  was  not  to  be  expected,  that  the  fact  that  the  new  Pres- 
ident of  the  University  had  been  prominent  in  the  recent 
ecclesiastical  conflict  would  be  forgotten,  nor  that  his  ap- 
pointment should  meet  their  cordial  approval.  Nor  was  it 
to  be  supposed,  that  the  sects  which  stand  arrayed  against 
the  Calvinistic  creed  would  relish  the  advent  of  a  Calvinist 
so  pronounced  as  Dr.  Junkin  was  known  to  be.  Whilst, 
therefore,  he  was  welcomed  by  most  of  the  Old  School 
Presbyterians,  by  the  Associate  Reformed,  the  Associate 
and  the  Reformed  Presbyterians,  by  the  Episcopalians,  and 
by  considerate  and  unimpassioned  men  of  all  parties  who 
desired  to  see  the  University  well  conducted,  irrespective 
of  sectarian  prejudices,  there  were  some  who  accepted  the 
new  regime  with  less  cordiality. 

The  former  President  remained  a  member  of  the  faculty, 
being  appointed  to  a  chair  that  did  not  require  much  toil ; 
and  probably  some  of  his  friends  and  former  pupils  would 
have  preferred  to  have  had  him  retained  at  the  head  of  the 
institution  ;  and,  no  doubt,  the  presence  of  his  venerable 
predecessor  in  the  faculty,  demanded  of  the  new  head  of  the 

35* 


4i4  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

institution  peculiar  watchfulness,  in  order  to  treat  him  with 
due  consideration.  In  this,  it  is  conceded,  he  was  suc- 
cessful ;  and  yet  there  was  sometimes  evidence  that,  in 
regard  to  this  matter,  he  was  narrowly  watched. 

Dr.  Junkin  was  distinctly  given  to  understand  by  the 
Committee  which  informed  him  of  his  election,  that  one 
consideration,  among  others,  which  led  the  Board  to  select 
him  as  President,  was  their  desire  to  have  a  firmer  and 
more  healthful  discipline  inaugurated  in  the  College  than 
had  for  some  time  been  maintained ;  that  his  reputation  as 
a  skilful  and  firm  disciplinarian  had  no  little  weight  in 
determining  their  choice,  and  he  would  be  expected  to 
restore  discipline  at  all  hazards. 

All  persons  familiar  with  college  government,  and  es- 
pecially as  administered  over  American  youth,  will  readily 
understand  what  a  delicate  and  difficult  task  was  imposed 
upon  the  new  President  by  this  requirement.  A  stranger, 
coming  from  a  remote  part  of  the  land,  the  successor  of  a 
kindly  and  lenient  officer,  whose  very  leniency  made  him 
beloved  by  youth,  and  entering  upon  his  duties  in  the  face 
of  no  small  amount  of  prejudice,  from  causes  already  indi- 
cated, the  work  before  Dr.  Junkin  was  peculiarly  difficult, 
and  required  unusual  caution,  tact,  wisdom,  and  firmness. 
But  he  met  these  difficulties  with  a  calmness,  a  courage,  and 
a  disposition  that  were  equal  to  the  exigency.  The  struggle 
was  ardent  on  the  part  of  the  opponents  of  order, — almost 
fierce  ;  but  order  ultimately  triumphed.  Several  students 
were  expelled  within  the  first  months  of  his  administration, 
others  were  more  quietly  sent  home,  and  order,  discipline, 
and  study  were  restored.  This  result  could  not,  of  course, 
be  reached  without  displeasing,  not  only  the  families  and 
friends  of  the  subjects  of  discipline,  but  also  their  sym- 
pathizers in  the  College.  No  heart  felt  keener  sorrow  at 
the  necessity  that  was  laid  upon  the  faculty  than  that  of 
the  President.     Nor  was  he  insensible  to  the  animadver- 


A    WICKED   AND    CRUEL    CANARD. 


415 


sions  made  upon  the  conduct  of  the  college  government; 
but  he  endured  it  all  with  quiet  patience,  and  quailed  not 
for  one  moment  before  the  storm  of  opposition. 

An  incident  that  gave  Dr.  Junkin's  friends,  and  kindred 
at  a  distance,  great  distress  for  a  while,  will  illustrate  the 
spirit  that  animated  some  of  the  unruly  elements  over 
which  he  presided.  One  morning,  during  the  first  year  of 
his  presidency,  there  appeared  in  the  United  States  Gazette, 
a  leading  daily  paper  of  Philadelphia,  a  letter,  dated  Ox- 
ford, Ohio,  and  addressed  to  the  Hon.  Joseph  R.  Chandler, 
editor  of  the  Gazette,  stating  that  the  writer  was  sorry  to 
inform  him  that  the  Rev.  Dr.  Junkin,  President  of  Miami 
University,  had  died,  after  a  short  illness,  that  day,  at 
his  residence  in  Oxford,  and  expressing  regret  at  the  loss 
the  public  had  sustained.  The  letter  was  duly  signed,  and 
seemed  to  bear  evidence  of  genuineness.  On  account  of 
the  fact  that  Mr.  Chandler  was  known  to  be  very  cautious 
in  publishing  information  from  unknown  correspondents, 
no  one  suspected  that  it  was  a  wicked  and  cruel  canard, 
perpetrated,  probably,  by  some  mischievous  and  heartless 
student. 

At  that  day  there  were  no  telegraphs,  and  no  rapid  rail- 
road mails ;  and  before  the  truth  could  be  known,  Dr. 
Junkin's  kindred  and  friends  had  mourned  him  as  dead 
for  a  week, — some  of  them  longer.  The  newspapers  spread 
the  tidings,  accompanied,  in  many  cases,  by  eulogies  of  the 
supposed  departed.  Prayers  were  offered  in  the  churches 
for  the  bereaved  family ;  and  in  two  cases,  at  least,  funeral 
sermons  were  prepared  by  eminent  clergymen,  who  had 
been  his  life-long  and  intimate  friends.  But  before  any 
sermon  was  delivered,  it  is  believed,  the  truth  of  the  story 
was  doubted,  and  in  due  time  its  falsehood  was  ascertained. 

It  was  a  most  cruel  and  distressing  infliction  of  sorrow 
upon  the  friends  of  Dr.  Junkin  ;  and  yet  it  accomplished 
an  object  which  the  writer  of  the  letter  did  not  contem- 


4i 6  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

plate.  It  called  forth  so  general  and  hearty  an  expression 
of  love  and  veneration  for  his  memory  as  few  men  have 
lived  to  read  of  themselves.  It  evoked  a  premature  record 
of  his  posthumous  fame,  which  was  of  such  a  character  as 
did  the  living  man  and  his  friends  no  injury. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  T.  L.  Cuyler  informed  the  writer  that  a 
short  time  after  the  reported  death  of  Dr.  Junkin,  he 
(Mr.  Cuyler),  whilst  travelling  in  Europe,  met  a  gentle- 
man in  a  boat  on  one  of  the  beautiful  little  lakes  of  the 
North  of  England.  A  mutual  introduction  having  dis- 
closed the  fact  that  Mr.  Cuyler  was  from  America,  his 
fellow-voyager  became  sad,  and  remarked,  "Meeting  a 
gentleman  from  America  recalls  the  very  sad  tidings  that 
have  just  reached  me  through  the  public  journals."  "May 
I  ask  to  what  you  allude?"  "It  is  the  death  of  a  very 
dear  and  highly-esteemed  friend,  with  whom  I  was  in- 
timately associated  whilst  I  resided  in  the  United  States, 
— the  Rev.  Dr.  Junkin."  "I  am  happy  to  assure  you," 
said  Mr.  Cuyler,  "that  your  friend  still  lives,  and  was 
well  when  I  left  America.  The  report  of  his  death  was  a 
foolish  and  wicked  canard."  Mr.  Cuyler  added  that  he 
had  rarely  witnessed  so  rapid  a  transition  from  sorrow  to 
joy  as  this  stranger  exhibited  ;  the  whole  scene  proving 
the  deep  affection  and  regard  which  he  entertained  for 
Dr.  Junkin,  whom  he  had  mourned  as  dead.  The  stranger 
was  Professor  Wm.  Cunningham. 

On  the  day  appointed  for  his  inauguration  (August  n), 
the  ceremonies  pertaining  thereto  were  performed  in  the 
presence  of  a  vast  concourse  of  people.  Prayer  was  offered 
by  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Barnes  ;  an  address  was  delivered  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  H.  V.  D.  Johns,  of  Cincinnati,  of  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church  ;  the  keys  of  the  University 
were  delivered,  the  charge  given,  and  the  oath  of  office 
administered  by  Col.  John  Johnston.  The  President 
then    pronounced    his    inaugural    address,    the    theme    of 


INAUGURAL    ADDRESS  AND    CEREMONIES. 


417 


which  was,  "The  origin,  unity,  and  power  of  moral 
law." 

Dr.  Johns'  address  was  an  able  one,  upon  the  subject 
of  "Obedience  to  duly  constituted  authority  a  primary 
obligation  of  American  citizenship."  He  urged  in  eloquent 
diction  the  duty  and  necessity  of  such  obedience,  pointed 
out  the  dangers  which  threatened  our  free  institutions  from 
the  rapid  increase  of  lawlessness ;  traced  that  increase  to 
its  sources,  in  the  laxity  of  family,  school,  and  college 
government,  and  earnestly  called  upon  all  friends  of  liberty 
and  law  to  rally  to  the  effort  of  arresting  the  evil  by 
staunching  its  source. 

Dr.  Junkin's  address  was  a  vigorous  and  unique  evolution 
of  his  subject,  and  an  application  of  its  principles  to  the 
interests  of  government  among  men,  of  college  govern- 
ment, and  of  regulated  liberty.  All  moral  law  originates 
in  the  will  of  God, — that  will,  when  known,  becomes  the 
rule  of  moral  action, — it  is  one  and  uniform  in  its  require- 
ments, not  multifarious  nor  variant,  and  when  obeyed  as  a 
rule  of  life,  the  energy  of  its  operation  transcends  all  other 
created  power. 

It  would  be  impracticable  to  transfer  to  these  pages  any 
considerable  part  of  this,  or  of  any  others  of  his  very 
numerous  public  addresses.  If  we  should  attempt  selec- 
tions, we  would  scarcely  have  completed  the  transcription 
before  we  would  feel  that  we  ought  to  have  chosen  others. 
To  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  the  sprighthness  which  his 
genius  imparted  even  to  dry  subjects,  we  take,  almost  at 
random,  a  short  extract  or  two  from  this  inaugural  address. 
After  demonstrating  that  God  is  the  origin  of  moral  law, 
and  his  will,  made  known,  the  rule,  he  proceeds  to  show 
that  the  unity  of  moral  law  consists,  not  in  the  fact  that 
it  is  alike  clearly  made  known  to  all  men,  but  in  the  fact 
that  actual  compliance  with  the  will  of  God  secures  hap- 
piness ;   failure  to  comply,  imposes  misery: 


4i  8  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

"Upright  action — action  according  to  the  will  of  God, 
and  because  it  is  the  will  of  God — is  uniformly  connected 
with  enjoyment  and  life  ;  and  the  contrary  leads  to  death 
and  woe.  This  is  the  essential  nature  of  moral  law.  It 
holds  out  rewards  and  punishments,  and  without  these,  it 
would  not  be  law  at  all ;  it  would  be  mere  advice.  Here 
is  the  fundamental  principle  of  all  morality.  Here  is  the 
original  conception,  without  which  no  man  has  any  definite 
notion  of  duty  or  of  sin,  of  law  or  of  government.  Here 
is  the  central  point  of  the  moral  universe,  where  stands 
Jehovah's  throne,  and  whence  radiate  all  the  forces  which 
sustain  and  regulate  the  movements  of  created  intelli- 
gences. 

"Such  is  the  grand  principle  of  unity  in  morals.  It  is 
of  little  concern  what  external  things  constitute  the  test  of 
obedience  to  man  or  angel, — whether  it  be  one  or  one 
thousand  acts, — whether  the  moral  agent  have  laid  upon 
him  one  or  one  thousand  requisitions, — whether  a  man's 
knowledge  of  his  Maker's  will  be  limited  to  a  few  things 
or  extended  to  many  things, — whether  the  moral  agent 
be  a  man  or  an  angel, — whether  Lazarus  or  Gabriel, — the 
question  submitted  is,  whether  he  will  comply  with  that 
will  of  God  which  is  made  known  to  him.  The  extent  of 
his  knowledge  may  and  must  affect  the  degree  of  his  reward 
or  his  punishment,  as  the  case  may  be ;  but  the  character 
of  his  account  and  final  destiny  is  determined  simply  by 
his  obedience  to  the  will  of  God  or  his  refusal  to  obey. 
This  one  principle  pervades  all  intelligent  creatures  of  which 
we  have  any  knowledge.  In  the  regions  of  celestial  light, 
obedience  to  the  will  of  God  secures,  increases,  and  per- 
petuates the  felicities  of  the  blessed.  In  the  world  of  woe, 
disobedience  to  the  will  of  God  aggravates,  increases,  and 
perpetuates  the  wretchedness  of  the  lost.  .  .  .  Here  is  the 
one  all-pervading  principle  of  moral  law,  the  grandeur 
of  whose  simplicity  thrills  the  bosoms  of  angelic  hosts, 
while  it  prostrates  in  profound  reverence  the  consciences 
of  men  on  earth,  and  flashes  upon  the  realms  of  darkness 
and  of  death  that  terrific  thunderbolt  of  Heaven's  venge- 
ance,— 'Ye  knew  the  will  of  God,  but  did  it  not !'  " 

After  discoursing  of  the  power  of  moral  law,  he  thus 
asserts  the  amplitude  of  its  range : 


INAUGURAL   ADDRESS. 


419 


"This  I  have  said  is  co-extensive  with  the  moral  universe. 
There  is  not  a  rational  intelligence  in  heaven,  earth,  or 
hell  beyond  its  reach.  ...  It  covers  our  world.  It  places 
the  autocrat  and  the  beggar  alike  under  its  commanding 
requisitions.  ...  It  repudiates  the  idea  that  there  is  one 
code  of  morals  for  the  rich  and  another  for  the  poor ;  one 
for  the  private  citizen  and  another  for  the  public  function- 
ary ;  one  for  the  farmer,  another  for  the  artisan,  another 
for  the  merchant,  and  still  another  for  the  professional 
man.  On  the  contrary,  this  mighty  principle  of  morality 
— the  will  of  God  must  be  obeyed — ascends  the  throne 
and  the  presidential  chair ;  it  pervades  the  halls  of  legisla- 
tion, and  demands  that  laws  and  their  executors  be  in  sub- 
ordination to  the  will  of  God.  The  husband  and  the  wife, 
the  parent  and  the  child,  the  master  and  the  servant,  the 
living,  the  dying,  and  the  dead,  all  are  equally  amenable 
to  the  will  of  God.  It  descends  with  the  miner  to  the 
bowels  of  the  mountains ;  it  ascends  with  the  aeronaut 
above  the  clouds ;  its  power  is  felt  in  the  peaceful  cottage, 
by  the  tempest-tossed  mariner  at  the  mast-head;  it  rules  in 
the  civic  procession,  and  the  storm  of  battle  is  subject  to 
its  control.  The  Greenlander,  in  his  snow-built  hut,  bows 
to  the  will  of  God ;  the  European,  in  his  marble  mansion, 
bows  to  the  will  of  God ;  the  African,  on  his  parched 
sands,  bows  to  the  will  of  God.  Lo  !  the  amplitude  of  its 
range  ! — it  girdles  the  globe,  and  binds  it  to  the  footstool 
of  its  Maker's  throne  !" 

Another  brief  extract  is  added,  not  only  because  it  con- 
tains a  strong  statement  of  a  great  truth,  but  because  it 
discloses  what  those  who  knew  its  author  believed  to  be 
the  very  soul  of  his  own  actions,  and  the  power  that  sus- 
tained him  through  a  life  of  trial  and  of  toil : 

"  Let  us  advert  for  a  moment  to  the  energy  of  its  opera- 
tion. This  is  seen  first  in  the  easy  resolution  of  doubtful 
questions  in  morality.  We  have  only  to  inquire  what  is 
the  will  of  God  in  this  ?  That  settled,  the  path  of  duty  is 
plain,  and  then 

"  We  have  the  spirit  of  unbending  integrity.  He,  in 
whose  soul  this  principle  is  settled,  knows  nothing  but  the 


420  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

will  of  God,  and  this  can  never  lead  him  astray  into  the 
wayward  paths  of  folly  and  of  crime ;  and  thus 

"We  have  the  spirit  of  true  heroism.  The  energy  of 
this  divine  rule  lifts  him  above  the  fear  of  all  created 
things.  The  fear  of  God  is  the  all-absorbing  affection  of 
his  soul,  and  he  knows  no  other  fear.  Obstacles  apparently 
insurmountable  may  stand  before  him,  and  obstruct  his  path 
of  duty,  but  onward  he  presses  in  the  face  of  them  all. 
Tell  him  'there's  a  lion  in  the  way,  you'll  be  devoured;' 
be  there  a  hundred  lions  in  the  way,  that  is  the  way  which 
by  the  will  of  God  I  am  bound  to  go.  He'll  take  care  of 
the  lions.  '  But  if  you  hold  on  to  these  principles  of  yours 
you  will  suffer  loss  of  goods,  and  be  reproached,  and 
scourged,  and  burned.'  Let  them  confiscate  my  goods, 
and  reproach,  and  scourge,  and  burn  me,  if  God  give  them 
power ;  I  am  not  accountable  for  these  consequences ;  I 
am  responsible  only  for  this, — that  I  obey  the  will  of 
God." 

Into  the  performance  of  the  duties  of  his  office  in  the 
University,  Dr.  Junkin  threw  all  the  energies  of  his  earnest 
nature.  Few  men  of  his  generation,  more  thoroughly  met 
the  requirement  of  the  Scripture  maxim,  "Whatsoever  thy 
hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might."  He  had  a 
difficult  and  delicate  task  to  perform,  and  one  that  called 
for  a  peculiar  phase  of  self-denial.  But  he  shrunk  not 
from  doing  it  faithfully. 

It  would  have  been  much  more  pleasant  to  flesh  and 
blood,  and  much  more  in  accord  with  the  aspirations  6f  a 
natural  ambition,  to  have  adapted  the  administration  of  the 
Institution,  and  the  standard  of  its  scholarship,  to  the  pop- 
ular but  unhealthy  public  sentiment  that  prevailed  at  that 
time  in  the  West,  and  thus  to  have  attracted  great  numbers 
to  the  college  classes.  A  lax,  accommodating  discipline, 
and  a  low  standard  of  scholarship,  would  have  done  this ; 
for  neither  rigid  rules  nor  hard  study  are  apt  to  be  popular 
with  American  youth.  A  short  cut  through  college,  and 
early  entrance  upon  active  life,  were  demanded  by  the  utili- 
tarian sentiment  of  the  times,  and  parental  stinginess  too 


A    NEWSPAPER    WAR.  421 

often  backed  the  claim.  To  weed  out  the  disorderly  and 
the  indolent  students,  and  thus  to  reduce  instead  of  increase 
the  College  rolls,  was  not  a  pleasant  process ;  but  it  was  the 
one  prescribed  by  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  it  was  in  ac- 
cord with  the  President's  habits  and  high  sense  of  right. 
Even  when  the  whole  pecuniary  responsibility  of  a  College 
had  rested  upon  him,  and  he  was  dependent  upon  tuition 
fees  for  paying  the  salaries  of  professors,  he  maintained 
the  discipline  and  the  high  standard  of  scholarship ;  and, 
as  he  had  accepted  of  the  Presidency  of  the  University 
when  he  knew  that  a  similar  administration  would  be  ex- 
pected of  him,  he  was  not  the  man  to  sacrifice  the  prospect- 
ive and  permanent  interests  of  the  Institution  to  a  desire 
for  temporary  popularity,  and  the  retention  or  attraction 
of  numbers.  The  consequence  was  that  the  number  of 
students  decreased  for  a  time.  This  fact  was  made  the 
basis  of  newspaper  attacks,  in  which  the  President  himself 
was  assailed,  and  the  control  of  the  denomination  to  which 
he  belonged  over  the  instructions  of  the  Institution  was 
complained  of.  This  newspaper  war  about  the  University 
was  quite  voluminous,  and  sometimes  personal  and  acri- 
monious. Most  of  the  papers  containing  it,  papers  published 
in  Cincinnati,  Dayton,  Rossville,  Xenia,  Maysville,  Ky», 
and  other  places,  are  in  possession  of  the  writer ;  but,  as 
it  was  one  of  those  local  and  many-sided  controversies  in 
which  the  writers  sometimes  exhibited  a  temper  and  used  a 
style  that  the  same  men  would  probably  deplore  when  the 
heat  of  the  conflict  was  over,  and  as  the  storm  appeared 
to  spend  itself  by  its  own  violence,  it  does  not  seem  to  be 
demanded  by  any  great  interest,  past  or  present,  that  the 
details  of  it  should  here  be  given.  It  has  been  alluded  to 
only  as  an  incident  of  a  trying  character  in  the  life  of  Dr. 
Junkin,  and  in  the  further  mention  of  it  no  reflections  shall 
be  made  upon  the  actors  in  those  scenes,  most  of  whom 
have  gone  from  the  conflicts  of  earth. 

36 


422  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

To  record  the  fact  that  Dr.  Junkin  was  President  of 
Miami  University  for  a  number  of  years,  and  to  make  no 
mention  of  the  commotion  excited  by  his  election  and  ad- 
ministration, would  be  to  ignore  very  important  links  in 
the  chain  of  his  history.  Whilst  to  enter  into  the  details 
of  a  newspaper  controversy,  of  which  he  and  the  Institu- 
tion over  which  he  presided  were  the  subjects,  would  be 
to  revive  issues  that  are  past  or  dead,  and  open  wounds 
which  time's  soft  hand  has  closed,  and  would  demand  a 
record  which  might  grieve  the  living  and  needlessly  reflect 
upon  some  who  are  dead. 

Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  new  President  had  scarcely  been 
inaugurated  when  his  qualifications  for  the  place  began  to 
be  assailed,  and  a  general  onslaught  was  made  upon  the 
Board  for  calling  him,  and  upon  his  person  and  admin- 
istration. The  charge  of  unfitness  for  the  place  was  not 
based  upon  any  defect  either  of  talents,  scholarship,  moral 
integrity,  aptness  to  teach,  or  other  attributes  usually  re- 
quired in  the  principal  of  a  college.  Indeed,  the  objections 
urged  would  not  prove  him  unfit  to  be  at  the  head  of  a 
University,  but  only  of  that  University  in  particular.  It 
was  a  State  institution.  Every  citizen  had  an  equal  right 
in  it.  No  one  Christian  sect  ought  to  have  a  dominant 
control  over  its  instructions.  It  ought  to  be  kept  entirely 
free  from  sectarianism ;  and,  as  Dr.  Junkin  was  so  pro- 
nounced a  Calvinist,  it  was  supposed  that  he  was  unfit  for 
the  place,  because  it  would  be  impossible  for  such  a  man 
to  abstain  from  inculcating  his  own  peculiar  views.  Some 
of  the  professors,  too,  had  been  appointed,  it  was  alleged, 
by  his  recommendation,  and  it  was  presumed  that  they  were 
men  of  like  cast  with  himself.  In  addition  to  all,  he  was 
a  rigid  disciplinarian,  a  man  of  reserved  and  abstracted 
manner,  and  personally  objectionable  to  one  branch  of  his 
own  denomination  (the  New  School),  who,  although  not 
numerous  in  that  part  of  Ohio,  were  a  considerable  body 


THE   "WESTERN  CHRISTIAN  ADVOCATE: 


423 


in  the  State.  The  Church  of  God  (Campbellites)  disliked 
his  opinions;  the  Universalists  thought  him  too  sectarian 
and  pronounced  upon  the  subject  of  future  punishment ; 
and  whilst  the  Methodists  were  very  moderate  in  their 
animadversions,  their  organ  was  still  of  opinion  that  stu- 
dents of  their  church  could  hardly  have  fair  play  under 
a  professor  of  mental  and  moral  science,  who,  in  his 
theological  writings,  was  so  strongly  against  the  Arminian 
system. 

This  last-named  denomination  had  grown  strong  in  the 
West,  and  had  begun  to  bestow  more  attention  upon  edu- 
cation than  in  the  earlier  periods  of  their  history.  About 
the  time  of  Dr.  Junkin's  advent  to  Miami,  they  had  taken 
order  upon  the  subject  in  their  Conference,  and  had 
adopted  a  very  able  report.  This  report  alluded  to  the 
fact,  that  the  State  Universities  of  the  West  were  too  much 
under  Presbyterian  control,  but  took  no  very  decided 
ground.  In  the  controversy  which  we  are  now  describing, 
the  Western  Christian  Advocate,  the  Cincinnati  organ  of 
that  church,  very  moderately  and  in  good  temper,  but  still 
decidedly,  bore  a  part.  It  pointed  to  the  fact,  that  both 
the  Ohio  Universities,  and  the  State  College  of  Indiana,  at 
Bloomington,  were  under  Presbyterian  control,  and  com- 
plained of  this  as  an  inequality.  In  their  paper  published 
on  the  20th  of  January,  1843,  m  reply  to  an  article  from 
the  pen  of  Dr.  Macdill,  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Church, 
the  editors  say : 

"When  we  spoke  of  the  control,  which  Methodists 
claimed  in  the  Ohio  Universities,  we  neither  said,  meant, 
nor  hinted  at  any  other  or  different  control  than  such  as 
is  now  used  by  the  Presbyterians.  ...  As  far  as  we 
have  yet  seen,  we  have  no  counter-information  to  rebut 
the. charge  that  the  President  of  Miami  University  inter- 
feres with  the  religious  creed  and  privileges  of  Methodist 
students ;  if,  however,  we  have  been  misinformed,  we  will 
gladly  correct  the  mistake,  whenever  we  have  adequate 


424  LIFE   OF  DR.   GEORGE   JUNKIN. 

rebutting  testimony.  We  still  say  that  Miami  University  is 
no  place  for  Methodist  students  who  desire  to  enjoy  their 
religious  privileges.*  .  .  .  We  still  advise  them,  if  only 
for  the  sake  of  peace,  to  go  elsewhere." 

In  another  part  of  the  same  article  they  say,  in  regard 
to  Indiana  University : 

"Mr.  Wylie  refused  to  have  a  Methodist  professor  in 
Indiana  State  College.  .  .  .  It  is  just  like  some  of  the 
former  acts  of  the  Trustees  of  Miami  University.  To  re- 
fuse the  appointment  in  consequence  of  the  name  Wesley  an, 
argues  much  more  narrow  sectarianism  than  what  appears 
on  the  part  of  those  who  desired  that  name.  .  .  .  We 
still  affirm  that  the  Methodists  of  Ohio  will  have  something 
to  do  with  the  State  Universities." 

There  were  some  grounds  for  the  claim  of  our  Method- 
ist brethren  to  have  a  share  in  one  or  other  of  the  Uni- 
versities of  the  State.  No  candid  mind  can  blame  them 
for  the  wish,  nor  for  the  efforts  which  they  made,  with  ul- 
timate success,  to  obtain  control ;  but  they  were  certainly 
unjust  to  Dr.  Junkin,  in  charging  him  with  interfering,  in 
his  official  capacity,  with  the  rights  of  Methodist  students. 
No  doubt,  in  his  many  ministrations  of  the  gospel  in 
the  churches  of  Oxford,  Cincinnati,  and  other  places 
where  he  preached,  he  would  occasionally  state  his  dis- 
tinctive views  of  gospel  truth ;  but  he  never  obtruded 
these  views  upon  the  students. 

But  there  were  various  dissatisfied  parties,  not  of  the 
Methodist  denomination,  who  took  advantage  of  these  alle- 
gations, and  raised  a  clamor.  Of  these,  some  had  ecclesi- 
astical recollections  of  an  unpleasant  kind ;  others  were 
disobliged  at  the  time  the  new  President  was  elected  ;  others 

*  After  the  publication  of  the  above,  a  certificate  was  voluntarily  given, 
signed,  it  is  believed,  by  all  of  the  Methodist  students  in  the  College,  correct- 
ing this  statement  very  explicitly. 


A    STORMY   ORDEAL. 


425 


did  not  approve  of  the  change  in  the  discipline;  and  others, 
still,  differed  in  opinion  with  him  upon  questions  of  public 
polity  which  agitated  the  country  at  that  time.  Some 
assailed  the  institution  and  its  head  from  one  stand-point, 
and  some  from  another.  He  had  many  strong  and  able 
defenders,  too,  who  no  doubt  said  sharp  things,  which 
provoked  acrimonious  retort ;  and  it  can  with  truth  be 
said,  that  rarely  has  a  public  man  passed  through  such  a 
fiery  and  stormy  ordeal.  He  took  no  personal  part  in  the 
controversy,  until  a  formal  accusation  had  been  made 
before  the  Board  of  Trustees,  when  he  published  a  state- 
ment over  his  own  signature  in  his  own  defence.  The 
Board  of  Trustees,  in  response  to  the  formal  accusation, 
which  came  from  some  of  the  Alumni,  passed  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  Resolved,  That  after  as  careful  an  investigation  of  this 
subject  as  it  is  in  their  power  at  present  to  make,  the  Board 
are  of  opinion,  that  there  is  no  evidence  yet  presented  on 
which  to  ground  any  serious  charge  of  incompetency  or 
unfitness  in  the  President  of  this  institution  to  fill  this 
office." 

It  was  after  this  that  Dr.  Junkin  published  the  defence 
above  alluded  to,  which  was  towards  the  close  of  his  ad- 
ministration, and  not  long  before  his  recall  to  Lafayette 
College. 

Previous  to  this  date,  however,  other  incidents  in  his 
history  occurred,  which  no  doubt  imparted  intensity  to  the 
spirit  and  the  exertions  of  his  opponents.  These  we 
go  back  to  narrate ;  but,  before  doing  this,  the  writer  will 
offer  a  remark  or  two  in  regard  to  the  most  unprecedented 
treatment  which  President  Junkin  received  whilst  in  Ohio. 
It  was  a  persecution  conducted  with  intense  vehemence, 
on  the  part  of  a  few,  whilst  it  was  magnanimously  resisted 

16* 


426  LIFE    OF  DR.  GEORGE   JUNKIN. 

by  many  others,  upon  whom  Dr.  Junkin  had  no  claims, 
except  those  which  a  just  man,  misunderstood  and  mis- 
represented, has  upon  the  adherents  of  righteousness  and 
fair  dealing. 

Whilst  it  really  was  a  persecution,  so  conducted  as  to 
mar  the  comfort  and  usefulness  of  its  object,  and  to  greatly 
wound  the  hearts  of  his  family,  it  can  be  accounted  for, 
and  that  truthfully,  as  the  writer  supposes,  without  assuming 
that  all,  or  even  many,  of  those  who  joined  in  it,  directly 
or  remotely,  were  actuated  by  a  persecuting  or  a  malignant 
spirit.  No  doubt  a  few  were  prompted  by  feelings  of 
personal  resentment,  especially  the  subjects  of  discipline 
and  their  friends.  But  it  is  probable,  that  much  of  the 
opposition  proceeded  from  motives  such  as  were  natural 
for  the  parties  to  feel,  and  which,  in  them,  were  not 
blameworthy. 

This  may  seem  to  be  a  strange  admission  to  be  made  by 
one  who  had  absolute  confidence  in  the  purity,  the  integ- 
rity, the  piety,  the  learning,  the  intellectual  power,  the  apt- 
ness to  teach,  and  the  governing  ability  of  Dr.  Junkin. 
Pre-eminent  as  he  was  in  all  these,  he  was  not  qualified,  in 
the  writer's  judgment,  to  be  the  President  of  Miami  Uni- 
versity, at  the  time  he  was  called  to  that  office.  The  reasons 
for  this  opinion  are — 

(a.)  It  was  a  State  college,  under  control  of  the  civil 
government  of  Ohio,  and,  of  course,  all  the  Christian  sects 
felt  that  they  had  equal  rights  to  its  privileges.  This  feel- 
ing had  found  public  utterance  before  his  accession,  and 
continued  to  grow  afterwards. 

(£.)  In  such  a  state  of  things,  no  man  of  pronounced 
opinions,  synthetical  habits  of  thought  and  speech,  and 
incapable  of  disguising  his  sentiments,  could  have  met  the 
growing  demand  of  the  public  for  absolute  neutrality  in 
doctrinal  opinion.     No  matter  what  he  might  be,  Calvin- 


REASONS  FOR  DISQUALIFICATION.  427 

ist,  Arminian,  Pelagian,  Socinian,  or  Infidel,  the  jealousy 
which  was  rife  at  the  time  would  have  suspected  him  of 
obtruding  his  views,  and  would  have  charged  him  with  so 
doing. 

(V.)  Dr.  Junkin  was  wholly  disqualified  for  a  position 
which  demanded  temporizing ;  and  whilst  it  is  believed  that, 
in  the  class-room  and  in  his  preachings  to  the  students,  he 
was  very  careful  to  abstain  from  disputed  points,  yet  in  his 
ministrations  and  labors  outside  of  the  College,  he  did  not 
disguise  his  convictions  of  truth;  and  it  was  very  natural 
for  those  who  heard  him,  in  pulpits  near  to  or  distant 
from  the  University,  to  suspect  that  he  would  carry  his 
opinions  into  the  College. 

(</.)  Dr.  Junkin  brought  with  him  to  Ohio  a  reputation 
of  being  a  very  thorough  Calvinist  of  the  Old  School.  He 
had  taken  part  in  a  great  and  recent  ecclesiastical  struggle. 
The  bitterness  of  that  conflict  was  hardly  allayed.  He 
was  known,  too,  to  be  decidedly  conservative  upon  other 
questions  of  exciting  interest  ;  and  it  was  very  natural  that 
all  men  of  opposite  opinions  should  be  reluctant  to  have 
such  a  man  in  so  important  a  position.  Hence  men,  who 
greatly  differed  among  themselves  in  many  points,  made 
common  cause  against  him.  Had  he  been  a  man  of  in- 
ferior intellectual  power,  less  pronounced  opinions,  and 
more  negative  character  and  disposition,  he  doubtless  would 
have  been  less  obnoxious. 

(<?.)  His  long  habit  of  trusting  his  good  name  in  the 
hands  of  his  Master,  and  his  distaste  for,  and,  indeed,  lack 
of  skill  in,  self-vindication,  made  him  comparatively  help- 
less in  such  a  war  as  was  waged  upon  his  administration  ; 
and  for  such  a  position  as  the  presidency  of  a  State  college 
the  man  is  disqualified  who  has  no  aptitude  either  to  em- 
ploy the  arts  for  gaining  popularity,  or  for  adroit  defence 
when   assailed.     In  these  Dr.  Junkin  had  no  experience 


428  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

or  skill.  His  character  was  too  transparent,  his  temper 
too  frank,  his  manner  too  abstracted,  his  disposition  too 
unsuspicious,  and  his  conduct  too  undisguised,  to  qualify 
him  for  a  post  in  which  everybody  was  to  be  pleased,  and 
men  of  all  opinions  conciliated.  He  was  not  fit  for  the 
place,  especially  at  that  time,  when  prejudice  was  rife,  and 
when  the  cauldron  of  conflicting  opinions  was  already 
boiling. 

All  this  can  be  said  without  abating  our  high  estimate  of 
his  character  and  abilities,  and  without  assuming  that  all 
those  who  doubted  his  qualifications  for  the  position  acted 
insincerely  or  with  malice.  The  difficulty  lay  in  the 
times,  and  in  the  essential  viciousness  of  a  system  of  col- 
lege education  controlled  by  civil  authority,  and  in  which 
the  jealousy  and  the  conflict  of  sects  demand  the  emas- 
culation of  education  by  the  repression  of  all  distinctive 
morality  and  religious  truth. 

This  singular  conflict  which  we  have  described,  did  not 
interfere  with  the  regular  operations  of  the  University. 
The  Faculty  was  united,  able,  and  industrious.  Good 
order,  as  a  general  thing,  was  preserved  among  the  stu- 
dents. The  agitation  had  rather  increased  than  diminished 
public  confidence  in  the  faculty  and  its  chief.  A  distin- 
guished gentleman  from  Xenia,  who  had  been  in  attendance 
at  the  Commencement  in  August,  1844,  the  last  one  at 
which  Dr.  Junkin  presided,  wrote  for  the  Torchlight  of  that 
town  an  account  of  the  College,  from  which  the  following 
extracts  are  made : 

"The  Annual  Commencement  of  this  noble  State  insti- 
tution came  off  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday,  the  7th  and 
8th  inst.  Having  been  present  through  all  the  exercises, 
permit  me,  Mr.  Editor,  to  express  the  high  gratification 
which  I  experienced.  .  .  .  The  graduating  class  .  .  . 
acquitted  themselves  with  much  credit,  both  to  themselves 
and   their   teachers.     As   I   have   no  connection  whatever 


COMMENCEMENT  OF   THE    UNIVERSITY. 


429 


with  the  University,  nor  any  interest,  in  it,  except  that 
which  belongs  to  the  whole  community,  I  feel  an  entire 
freedom  in  expressing  my  opinions,  unrestrained  either  by 
fear  or  favor.  And  my  deliberate  conviction  is  that  the 
Institution,  if  suffered  to  prosecute  its  operations  free  from 
the  restless  and  revolutionizing  spirit  of  our  day,  will  prove 
a  rich  blessing  to  our  State  and  country. 

"The  University  has  been  industriously  represented  as 
having  'fallen  from  its  high  estate,'  and  as  having  all  its 
energies  utterly  prostrated.  It  may  be  true  that  it  does  not 
flourish  to  the  extent  (in  point  of  numbers)  that  all  right- 
hearted  men  could  wish.  But  it  might  be  a  curious  prob- 
lem how  much  of  this  alleged  prostration  has  been  owing 
to  these  very  representations,  so  industriously  circulated 
through  the  whole  community.  Nothing  is  more  fully 
attested  by  experience  and  observation  than  this, — that  the 
best  of  men  may  be  prostrated,  and  the  energies  of  the  best 
institutions  paralyzed,  by  the  untiring  efforts  of  restless 
demagogues  wielding  the  all-powerful  weapon  of  the  spirit 
of  party.  From  personal  observation,  attentive,  and,  as  far 
as  I  know  myself,  unbiassed,  I  am  convinced  that  the  pres- 
ent professors  of  the  Miami  University  are  men  well  ac- 
quainted with  their  business,  and  having  the  welfare  of 
their  pupils  and  of  the  Institution  sincerely  at  heart.  There 
is  one  thing  especially  worthy  of  notice,  which  should  give 
this  University  a  strong  hold  upon  the  affections  of  a  Chris- 
tian people,  viz.,  that,  while  nothing  properly  sectarian  has 
a  place,  the  philosophy  of  the  Bible  stands  forth  in  bold 
relief.  Through  all  the  exercises  of  the  late  Commence- 
ment we  were  constantly  reminded  that  this  is  a  Christian 
institution,  and  that  we  are  a  Christian  people,  who  claim 
an  open  Bible  as  our  dearest  treasure. 

'■Fiat  justitia,  mat  ccelum. '  ' ' 

But  whilst  this  writer,  and  many  who  felt  with  him,  were 
satisfied  with  the  state  of  things  in  the  College,  and  could 
thus  speak  of  its  President  and  Faculty,  others  took  an 
opposite  view  of  things,  and,  with  a  disregard  of  the 
amenities  both  of  style  and  of  matter,  such  as  too  often 
marks  bitter  political  conflicts,  they  assailed  the  Faculty 
and  those  who  wrote  in  their  defence. 


430  LIFE   OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

The  storm  seemed  to  have  spent  its  fury  in  the  summer 
of  1844,  and  a  reaction  began;  and  it  is  likely  that  Dr. 
Junkin  and  his  friends  would  have  been  sustained  by  the 
public,  and  been  left  to  their  work  in  peace;  but  other 
events  were  maturing  which  entirely  changed  his  future 
life.  These,  with  other  matters  not  yet  written,  will 
occupy  another  chapter. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

Labors  to  elevate  the  Standard  of  Scholarship — Baccalaureates — Decision 
of  Character — Pulpit  Labors — Anti-Slavery  Controversy — Speech  in  the 
Synod  of  Cincinnati — Introductory  Letter — John  McDonough — Dr. 
Junkin's  Plan  of  Emancipation  the  same  with  that  of  President  Lincoln 
— Opinions  of  Conservatives — Probabilities — Opinions  of  Reviewers — 
Assembly  of  1844 — Dr.  Junkin,  Moderator — Questions  before  the  Body 
—  Quorum — Ordinations — Slavery- — Free  Church  of  Scotland  Commis- 
sioners—  Reception — Dr.  Junkin's  Speech  —  Action  of  the  General 
Assembly. 

DURING  Dr.  Junkin's  administration  of  Miami 
University,  he  not  only  was  diligent  in  performing 
the  duties  pertaining  to  his  offices  as  President  and  Professor, 
but  he  employed  his  pen  in  endeavoring  to  increase  public 
interest  in  the  subject  of  education,  and  especially  to  super- 
induce a  higher  standard  of  scholarship  in  American  Col- 
leges. There  had  arisen  a  strong  prejudice,  in  many 
quarters,  against  the  ancient  College  curriculum,  especially 
against  the  study  of  the  ancient  languages;  and  there 
seemed  to  be  a  growing  demand  for  what  was  assumed  to 
be  a  more  utilitarian  course  of  study.  The  popular  concep- 
tion of  a  College  education  seemed  to  be  to  prepare  young 
men  for  practical  life,  in  the  shortest  time,  and  by  the 
easiest  and  most  direct  course  possible.  Study,  as  a  means 
of  mental  training  and  development,  was  not  by  such  per- 
sons appreciated.  The  impartation  of  thoughts  and  in- 
formation— not  teaching  men  to  thi?ik  for  themselves — was 
the  too  popular  notion  of  education.  Against  this  mis- 
taken theory  Dr.  Junkin  set  himself,  and  did  what  he  could 
to  correct  it.  In  his  Baccalaureate  address  in  1843,  ne 
embodied  an  argument  against  it,  and  aimed  to  explain  to 

(430 


432  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

the  popular  mind  "The  Bearings  of  College  Education 
upon  the  Welfare  of  the  whole  Community."  This  he  did 
in  so  simple,  illustrative,  and  convincing  a  manner  that 
none  who  heard  him,  or  who  read  the  address,  could  fail 
to  see  that  every  interest  of  the  community,  every  profes- 
sion, occupation,  and  business  among  the  people,  and 
all  other  departments  of  education  were  benefited  by 
thorough  College  education.  He  unfolded  its  influence 
upon  science,  the  arts,  commerce,  civilization,  political 
economy,  government,  liberty,  and  religion ;  and  demon- 
strated that  all  depended  upon  the  reign  of  enlightened 
mind ;  and  that  they  had  prospered,  and  would  prosper, 
in  the  direct  ratio  of  the  progress  of  that  intellectual  and 
moral  culture  which  right  College  education  only  could 
secure. 

After  a  discussion  of  his  theme,  marked  by  lucid  logic, 
telling  facts,  and  ardent  eloquence,  he  applied  the  princi- 
ples evolved  to  the  institution  over  which  he  presided. 
He  said : 

"What,  then,  is  our  policy?  Raise  the  standard  high  ! 
higher!  STILL  HIGHER!  If  you  want  the  noblest 
youths  of  our  land  to  rally  round  your  College,  this  is  your 
true  policy.  Make  them  believe  the  truth — not  that  the 
top  of  your  pyramid  is  lost  in  the  clouds,  but  that  it 
towers  to  heaven,  and  yet  it  may  be  reached.  This  is 
our  duty.  We  owe  it  to  our  State  and  to  our  country.  We 
owe  it  to  our  country's  Great  Benefactor.  God  and  Wash- 
ington have  committed  to  us  these  ten  talents;  and  woe  to 
us  if  we  bury  them  in  the  earth, — if  we  invert  the  pyramid, 
and  send  the  youth  of  the  land  downward,  to  seek  its 
glorious  summit  in  the  grossness  of  a  base  materialistic 
utilitarianism ! 

"Let  us  turn  an  adder's  ear  to  the  siren  song  of  a  tem- 
porary expediency.  Let  us  not  listen  to  the  whinings  of 
sectarian  jealousy Let  us  not  cut  down  our  moun- 
tain to  the  mole-hill  dimensions  which  some  may  have 
prescribed  to  professional  qualifications.  Let  us  not  go 
into  the  market  with  our  roll  of  parchments,  and  enter 


BA  CCA  LA  UREA  TES.  43  3 

into  an  inglorious  competition  from  the  lowest  bidder ! 
We  have  defended  our  position.   .   .   . 

"Such,  gentlemen  of  the  Board,  is  the  understanding  in 
this  institution, — such  the  views  of  this  Faculty. 

"Such,  young  gentlemen  of  the  Senior  Class,  we  well 
know  to  be  your  views  and  feelings.  You  now  leave  us,  to 
carry  them  out,  we  fondly  hope  and  trust,  through  long, 
laborious,  respectable,  and  happy  professional  lives.   .   .   . 

"And  now,  my  dear  young  friends,  time  has  brought  us 
to  the  sundering-point.  When,  and  where,  and  how  we 
shall  meet  again  is  known  only  to  Him  who  sees  the  end 
from  the  beginning.  The  changes  of  this  world  appear  to 
us,  who  see  so  small  a  portion  of  the  Creator's  universal 
plan,  utter  confusion ;  as  do  the  movements  of  the  planet- 
ary orbs  to  the  illiterate ;  but  to  Omniscience  all  is  order, 
harmony,  beauty.   .   .    . 

"Look  forward  to  the  vast  field  before  you.  Look 
beyond  to  the  rewards  of  faithful  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
truth.  Look  upward  to  the  Star  of  Bethlehem,  so  often 
pointed  out  to  you  from  these  high  places,  and  it  will  be  a 
light  to  your  feet. 

"Short,  but  most  happy,  has  been  the  period  of  my  in- 
tercourse with  you.  Should  we  all  prove  faithful  to  our- 
selves and  our  friends,  to  our  country  and  our  God,  we 
shall  shortly  meet  in  that  bright  world,  where  language  is 
all  living,  science  all  light,  happiness  unspeakable  and  eter- 
nal.    Amen.     So  let  it  be  !" 


It  was  Dr.  Junkin's  custom  always  to  select  a  definite 
subject  for  his  Baccalaureate  addresses.  His  reason  for  this 
is  stated  in  the  exordium  of  his  Baccalaureate  of  1842:' 

"That  our  annual  high-day  may  not  be  characterized,  in 
one  of  its  exercises,  by  a  mere  series  of  stereotyped  re- 
marks, it  is  my  purpose  always  to  select  a  subject.  The 
relations  which  terminate,  and  those  which  begin,  at  Com- 
mencement, are  almost  perfectly  the  same  on  all  occasions; 
hence  some  of  the  matter  proper  to  be  uttered  must  neces- 
sarily be  repetitions.  There  is  no  necessity,  however,  to 
limit  a  Baccalaureate  address  to  these  items  of  inevitable 
identity.     The  larger  portion  of  it  may,  with  great  pro- 

37 


434  LIFE   0F  DR-   GEORGE   JUNKIN. 

priety.  vary  perpetually ;  and  thus  abate  the  satiety  which 
otherwise  would  result  to  those  attending  every  year." 

That  year  he  discussed  the  topic,  "The  Bearings  of 
Christianity  upon  Republican  Government."  In  1844  his 
subject  was  "Decision  of  Character."  In  his  introduction 
he  said,  after  announcing  his  subject : 

"The  honorable  Board  will  perceive  at  once  that  novelty, 
and  the  hope  of  profiting  by  its  charms,  had  nothing  to 
do  with  this  selection.  The  subject  is  trite  and  hackneyed. 
Since  the  masterly  essay  of  the  late  John  Foster,  none  but 
the  novice  would  select  this  topic  in  the  hope  of  gaining 
admiration  by  originality." 

After  an  able  and  a  far  more  unique  and  original  dis- 
cussion of  the  subject  than  his  modest  introduction  would 
lead  us  to  expect,  he  summed  up  all  in  six  practical  rules 
for  the  formation  of  a  character  of  decision,  which  rules 
he  commended,  in  an  eloquent  and  tender  appeal,  to  the 
students  of  the  University  : 

"  1.  If  accuracy  of  knowledge  is  so  radically  important 
toward  forming  correct  judgments,  thence  results  the 
maxim,  '  Whatever  is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing 
well. ' 

"2.  Let  knowledge  be  perfect.  This  regards  the  parts 
and  the  degree  of  every  part.  Let  no  man,  who  aims  at 
independent  thinking  and  true  decision,  sit  down  con- 
tented, in  a  vain  flattering  belief  that  he  understands  a 
given  subject. 

"3.  Choose  your  particular  field  of  scientific  investigation, 
— your  profession ;  and  confine  your  main  exertions  to  that 
field.  No  man  possesses  a  universal  genius, — the  phrase 
embodies  a  contradiction.  Genius  is  a  particular  adapta- 
tion, and  cannot  be  universal. 

' '  4.  Let  deliberation  be  repressed,  until  investigation  has 
completed  her  work. 

"5.  Let  the  intensity  of  desire  never  outstrip  the  tardier 
movements  of  investigation,  deliberation,  and  judgment. 

"6.   Let  desire   always  wear  the  habiliments  of  virtue. 


rULPIT  LABORS. 


435 


Never  cherish  for  a  moment  a  desire  to  accomplish  a  wrong 
thing.     Success,  in  such  a  case,  can  only  be  temporary; 

for  right  will  ultimately  triumph Under  this  rule 

you  avoid  the  most  fearful  of  all  opposition  to  a  decided 
purpose, — the  stern  rebuke  of  a  condemning  conscience. 
Even  in  the  most  resolute  and  hardened  villains,  their  de- 
termined purpose  is  but  feebly  executed ;  the  nerve  of 
resolution  being  shivered  by  the  appalling  voice  of  con- 
science. Whereas,  with  all  the  force  of  her  approval,  the 
desire  of  doing  right  becomes  overpowering,  and  binds 
forever  a  free  spirit  to  its  cherished  purpose. 

"  '  What  stronger  breastplate  than  a  heart  untainted  ? 
Thrice  is  he  armed  who  hath  his  quarrel  just; 
And  he  but  naked,  though  locked  up  in  steel, 
Whose  conscience  with  injustice  is  corrupted!' 

"This  is  the  man  who  stands  erect  amid  the  ruins  of  a 
crashing  world." 

From  Dr.  Junkin's  published  addresses  scores  of  such 
passages  might  be  selected.  But  space  forbids.  So  much 
is  transferred  merely  as  specimens  of  his  modes  of  thought 
and  utterance.  The  perorations  of  his  baccalaureates  were 
filled  with  tenderness,  especially  toward  the  young  men 
who  were  about  to  take  their  departure. 

Whilst  Dr.  Junkin  resided  at  Oxford,  he  was  of  course  a 
member  of  the  Presbytery  of  that  name,  and  of  the  Synod 
of  Cincinnati.  As  a  Presbyter,  he  was  always  at  his  post, 
if  not  providentially  hindered,  and  bore  his  part  in  the 
deliberations  of  the  church  courts.  He  never  felt  like  a 
minister  without  charge,  for  he  considered  himself  ex  officio 
the  pastor  of  the  University,  and  not  only  lectured  and 
preached  in  the  College  Hall,  but  performed  pastoral  duty 
in  visiting  the  students.  He  also,  for  a  time,  preached 
part  of  the  Sabbath  at  a  church  four  or  five  miles  from 
Oxford. 

It  has  already  been  stated,  that  shortly  after  going  to 
Miami,  he  repeated,  in  the  College  Hall,  to  the  students, 


436  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

and  such  of  the  citizens  as  attended,  his  lectures  on  the 
Prophecies,  and  he  prepared  them  for  publication  at  the 
request  of  many  who  heard  them  at  Easton. 

We  come  now  to  narrate  an  episode  in  the  life  of  Dr. 
Junkin  which  has  been  very  much  misapprehended  and 
misrepresented,  and  which  no  doubt  had  an  important  in- 
fluence in  intensifying  a  part  of  the  opposition  to  him  in 
the  West. 

It  is  well  known  that  about  the  time  of  his  advent  to 
Miami  the  Abolition  excitement  was  at  its  height.  For 
nearly  ten  years  it  had  agitated  the  country,  North  and 
South,  East  and  West.  The  anti-slavery  men  of  the  coun- 
try had  become  divided  in  their  counsels,  in  such  a  way  as 
to  separate  them  into  several  classes.  The  Garrison  school 
of  abolitionists  had  advanced  much  further,  in  their  ag- 
gressive doctrines  and  measures,  than  many  others,  equally 
hostile  to  slavery,  were  willing  to  go.  There  was  another 
school  equally  opposed  to  it,  but  who  were  less  violent  in 
their  language,  more  moderate  in  their  counsels,  and  more 
considerate  in  their  measures  ;  but  both  schools  had  adopted 
the  principle  that  slavery  was  malum  in  se — a  sin  in  itself; 
and  of  course,  with  such  a  premise  assumed,  the  inference 
was  unavoidable,  that  it  ought  instantly  to  cease  and  be 
abolished.  The  Garrison  school  had,  as  a  general  thing, 
broken  away  from  the  Holy  Scriptures  as  a  guide,  because 
they  seemed  to  tolerate  slavery  in  certain  circumstances. 

But  there  was  a  large  class  of  anti-slavery  men  who  were 
Christians,  believers  in  the  Bible,  and  who  were  unwilling, 
like  the  infidel  abolitionists,  to  reject  the  Word  of  God 
because  it  seemed  to  give  countenance  to  the  evil  which 
they  detested.  These,  like  the  others,  assumed  that  slavery 
was  per  se  a  sin,  and  like  them  held  that,  as  a  sin,  it  should 
immediately  be  given  up.  The  necessary  consequences  of 
this  assumption  were  the  corollaries : — First.  That  no  slave- 
holder ought    to   be   a   member  of  the  church  of  Christ. 


ABOLITION  DISCUSSION. 


437 


Second.  That  the  church  should  not  only  testify  against 
slavery,  but  exclude  all  slaveholders  from  her  communion. 
And,  although  they  rarely  asserted  it,  another  necessary 
corollary  was,  that  the  non-slaveholding  part  of  the  church 
ought  to  separate  themselves  from  the  slaveholding  part. 

Against  these  doctrines,  of  course,  almost  the  entire 
South  was  arrayed,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  North 
also,  and  the  agitation  of  the  public  mind  upon  the  sub- 
ject had  been  increasing  from  year  to  year.  It  was  no 
new  cause  of  disturbance  in  church  and  state.  At  the  very 
foundation  of  the  national  government  this  great  acknowl- 
edged evil  met  our  fathers,  and  embarrassed  the  framers  of 
our  Constitution.  And  all  down  through  our  history,  the 
existence  of  slavery  in  one  part  of  our  land,  after  it  had 
been  abolished  in  others,  had  proved  an  ever-recurring 
source  of  difficulty  in  national  legislation.  Frequently  it 
had  threatened  the  dissolution  of  the  Union,  and  called 
for  repeated  compromises.  These  only  served  to  postpone, 
for  a  time,  the  threatening  dangers,  without  removing 
them. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  had  also,  at  an  early  period  of 
her  history,  recognized  slavery  as  a  moral  and  social  evil, 
and  borne  decided  testimony  against  it ;  which  testimony 
she  reiterated  from  time  to  time,  and  never  withdrew  it. 

The  anti-slavery  sentiment,  at  one  time,  was  an  Ameri- 
can sentiment.  It  pervaded  both  North  and  South. 
Several  States,  that  had  been  slaveholding  States,  had 
abolished  it,  by  a  gradual  process, — as  Pennsylvania, 
New  Jersey,  and  New  York.  Kentucky  had  taken  up  the 
subject  of  abolition,  and  discussed  it  in  her  legislature, 
with  strong  tendencies  to  emancipation,  before  Garrison's 
Liberator  made  its  appearance.  Similar  movements  had 
been  made  in  Virginia.  That  great,  good,  and  eloquent 
statesman  and  patriot,  James  McDowell,  afterwards  Gov- 
ernor of  Virginia,  as  early  as  183 1-2,  introduced  resolu- 

37* 


438  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

tions  looking  to  emancipation,  into  the  Virginia  Legisla- 
ture. 

But  when  aggressive,  and  especially  when  abusive,  aboli- 
tion commenced  its  career,  and  interference  with  Southern 
slavery  by  Northern  agency  was  threatened,  the  power  of 
Southern  emancipationists  was  soon  paralyzed,  and  the  very 
men  who  were  opposed  to  the  system,  and  had  begun 
these  movements,  were  forced  not  only  to  relinquish  their 
efforts,  but  to  stand  in  defence  of  what  they  deemed  the 
safety  of  their  section.  It  was  the  aggressive  abolition 
movement  that  arrested  these  efforts,  and  consolidated  the 
South  in  opposition  to  what  they  deemed  unjustifiable 
interference  with  their  domestic  affairs. 

The  overwhelming  majority  at  the  North  was  also  op- 
posed to  the  abolition  agitation.  No  political  party  of  the 
larger  national  organizations  had  ever  identified  itself  with 
aggressive  abolition.  The  profound  conviction  of  the 
great  mass  of  Northern  citizens  was,  that  slavery  ought  to 
be  left  to  the  control  and  management  of  the  States  within 
which  it  existed.  There  our  fathers  had  left  it  when  they 
framed  the  Constitution,  and  for  a  long  time  no  consider- 
able body  of  men  had  proposed  to  interfere  with  it. 

Love  for  the  Union  had  always  been  a  dominant  senti- 
ment— almost  a  passion — in  the  American  bosom.  Any- 
thing that  endangered  the  Union  was  repelled  with  impa- 
tience ;  and,  as  the  aggressive  abolitionists  had  sometimes 
uttered  sentiments  which  were  considered  hostile  to  the 
Union,  strong  indignation  was  felt  and  often  expressed 
against  them  on  that  account ;  and  this  indignation  occa- 
sionally took  such  possession  of  masses  of  the  people  as  to 
lead  to  unjustifiable  means  of  opposition,  and  to  mob  vio- 
lence. The  burning  of  Pennsylvania  Hall,  and  other  demon- 
strations of  the  kind,  were  as  foolish  as  they  were  wicked; 
for  persecution  always  gives  ultimate  strength  to  the  perse- 
cuted principles  and  the  party  which  upholds  them. 


SLA  VER  Y  CO  NTH  O  VERS  Y. 


439 


In  the  church  courts,  too,  the  wisest  policy  was  not 
always  pursued.  The  right  of  petition  and  memorial  was 
sometimes  infringed,  or,  at  least,  the  petitions  upon  the 
subject  of  slavery  were  not  treated  with  the  same  respect 
that  those  upon  other  subjects  received.  Discussion  in 
the  church  courts  was  discouraged,  sometimes  prevented  by 
the  motion  to  lay  on  the  table ;  and  a  most  decided  reluc- 
tance was  for  a  long  time  shown  to  tolerate  the  agitation  of 
this  exciting  topic. 

The  writer  of  these  pages  was  always  of  opinion,  that 
this  was  a  mistaken  policy  on  the  part  of  conservative  men. 
Discussion  is  a  safety-valve  through  which  it  is  often  wise 
to  "let  off"  the  steam-like  enthusiasm  of  extravagant  re- 
formers. If  such  enthusiasm  is  repressed,  especially  when 
it  is  the  offspring  of  conscientious  convictions,  it  is  sure  to 
find  vent  somewhere  and  somehow,  either  by  a  secret  escape- 
pipe,  or  by  the  crashing  explosion. 

In  the  National  Legislature  a  similar  policy  was  adopted, 
with  similar  results,  viz.,  the  intensifying  of  the  repudiated 
abolition  sentiment,  and  the  gradual  strengthening  of  the 
party. 

Good  men  trembled  for  the  result.  Violent  and  impru- 
dent things  were  done  in  both  sections  of  the  country,  and 
to  many  it  began  to  appear  probable,  that  if  the  abolition- 
ists could  not  be  met  and  defeated  upon  their  own  ground, 
and  with  their  own  weapons, — facts  and  arguments, — a 
division  of  the  Church  and  of  the  National  Union  would 
be  the  ultimate  result. 

To  this  conclusion  Dr.  Junkin  seemed  at  last  to  have  been 
brought,  in  September,  1843.  In  the  Synod  of  Cincin- 
nati, the  subject  of  abolition  had  frequently  been  presented, 
but  the  policy  above  described  appears  to  have  been  usu- 
ally pursued.  Dr.  Junkin  himself  had  objected  to  the  agita- 
tion of  the  subject  in  his  Presbytery;  and  when  a  paper  was 
offered  to  the  Synod  by  his  venerable  colleague  and  prede- 


440  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

cessor,  Dr.  Bishop,  embodying  a  deliverance  of  abolition 
opinions,  he  voted  to  lay  it  on  the  table.  This  led  to  some 
banter  and  challenging  on  the  part  of  the  abolition  mem- 
bers, which  roused  a  spirit  of  defiance  in  the  minds  of  their 
opponents,  and  resulted  in  a  motion  to  take  the  paper  up 
for  discussion.  Against  this  motion  Dr.  Junkin  voted,  but 
was  in  a  minority  of  four.  He  then  entered  upon  the 
discussion;  and,  on  the  19th  and  20th  of  September, 
delivered  his  celebrated  speech,  which  was  so  extensively 
read,  so  violently  attacked,  and  so  generally  misrepresented 
to  and  by  many  who  had  never  heard  or  read  it. 

A  portion  of  this  speech  was  published  in  a  pamphlet  of 
eighty  octavo  pages,  and  aroused,  of  course,  the  very  de- 
termined opposition  of  those  who  had  so  zealously  taken 
different  ground.  The  intensity  of  their  hostility  to  the 
man  seemed  proportionate  to  the  difficulty  which  they  found 
in  answering  his  argument.  The  speech  has  been  repre- 
sented, or,  rather,  misrepresented,  as  being  a  pro-slavery 
argument,  and  its  author  a  pro-slavery  man,  but  no  candid 
reader  can  so  characterize  it.  The  part  of  it  which  was 
published  was  entitled  : 

"The  Integrity  of  our  National  Union  versus  Ab- 
olitionism. An  argument  from  the  Bible,  in  proof 
of  the  position,  that  believing  masters  ought  to  be 
tolerated  in,  not  excommunicated  from,  the  church 
of  God." 

To  the  pamphlet  is  prefixed  a  letter,  addressed  to  the 
gentlemen  at  whose  request  the  speech  was  published.  An 
extract  from  this  letter  will  explain  the  character  of  its 
argument  and  the  object  of  its  publication: 

"To  the  Rev.  Joshua  L.  Wilson,  D.D.,  Rev.  J.  C. 
Barnes,  General  Robt.  B.  Millikin,  and  C.  K.  Smith, 
Esq. 

"  Gentlemen, — You  were  among  the  first  of  my  friends 
to  solicit  the  publication  of  that  part,  at  least,  of  my  argu- 


INTRODUCTORY  LETTER.  441 

ment  before  the  Synod  of  Cincinnati,  which  went  to  show 
from  the  language  of  the  Bible,  that  slavery  is  tolerated 
therein,  and  not  made  a  ground  of  excommunication  from 
the  Church. 

"  The  copy  is  now  at  your  service.  You  will  find  it  not 
so  full  as  when  spoken.  Eight  hours  were  occupied  in  the 
delivery  of  the  whole,  and  the  last  three  parts  were  com- 
pressed into  half  that  space  of  time.  .  .  .  But,  having 
conceived  my  plan,  I  adhered  to  it  throughout,  giving  my 
principal  attention  to  the  Scriptural  argument.  I  have 
long  believed  that  if  this  nation  is  to  be  saved  from  a  deluge 
of  suicidal  blood,  it  wdl  be  through  the  conservative  power 
of  the  Word  of  God. 

"Truth  requires  the  public  to  know  my  general  plan, 
lest  they  should  suppose  I  had  not  met  the  whole  subject. 
The  plan  of  the  whole  speech  contained  four  general  heads, 
beside  the  prefatory  remarks  against  introducing  the  matter 
into  ecclesiastical  bodies  at  all : 

"I.  The  Scriptural  argument,  which  only  you  have 
here. 

"II.  An  aggressive  movement  into  the  abolition  camp, 
— in  which  I  carry  the  war  into  their  country.  Here  I 
sustained  four  propositions: — 1.  The  abolition  movement 
occasions  the  riveting  of  the  chains  of  temporal  bondage 
more  tightly  upon  the  colored  race.  2.  It  tends  to  increase 
the  intellectual  bondage  and  the  spiritual  enthralment  of 
that  unhappy  race.  3.  It  is  a  treasonable  movement  against 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  4.  It  aims  at  and 
tends  to  the  dissolution  of  the  Union  ;  and  there  is  reason 
to  believe  that  English  abolitionists,  and  the  British 
government,  are  co-operating  with  American  abolitionists 
to  divide  our  republic. 

"III.  The  question  of  slavery,  as  viewed  by  the  eye  of 
political  philosophy,  and  of  moral  and  municipal  law. 

"IV.  The  divine  plan  of  restoring  man  universally  to 
his  freedom, — first  in  fact,  then  inform, — and  the  applica- 
tion of  it  in  the  noble  scheme  of  African  colonization. 
This  topic  I  did  not  fully  discuss;  nor  the  great  question 
why  God  permitted  the  introduction  of  slavery  into  this 
republic,  and  what  were  his  designs  concerning  it.  In 
regard  to  African  colonization,  I  hastily  referred  to  the 
success  in   Liberia  as  evidence  of  its  practicability ;  and 


442  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

especially  since  the  noble,  philanthropic,  and  eminently 
successful  experiment  of  John  McDonough,  of  New  Or- 
leans, has  demonstrated  the  easy  practicability  of  universal 
emancipation  and  real  freedom.  Whether  ever  this  plan 
shall  be  filled  up  is  a  contingency.* 

"Very  respectfully,  your  humble  servant, 

"George  Junkin." 

As  great  pains  were  taken  by  the  aggressive,  immediate 
abolitionists  to  make  and  spread  the  impression  that  Dr. 
Junkin  was  a  pro-slavery  man,  his  biographer  deems  it  a 
duty  to  correct  this  impression  ;  and  perhaps  no  better 
method  could  be  adopted  than  to  make  such  extracts  from 
this  speech  as  will  exhibit  his  true  position.  He  always 
esteemed  slavery  an  abnormal  condition  of  society,  and 
a  great  social  evil.  He  believed  and  taught,  that  the  true 
spirit  of  Christianity  was  opposed  to  it,  and  tended  to 
its  removal.  He  was  an  early  and  a  zealous  friend  of  a 
judicious  scheme  of  emancipation.  Long  before  the  name 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  heard  of,  beyond  his  immediate 
neighborhood,  George  Junkin  had  publicly  recommended 
and  advocated  the  plan  for  compensated  emancipation, 
which  Mr.  Lincoln  proposed  after  he  came  to  the  Presi- 
dency. As  early  as  1835  Dr.  Junkin  publicly  advocated 
the  consecration  of  the  entire  proceeds  of  the  public  lands 

*  The  Mr.  McDonough  mentioned  in  the  above  letter,  was  a  wealthy 
gentleman  of  New  Orleans,  who  fitted  his  servants  for  freedom  by  a  grad- 
ual process  of  education  and  instruction  in  the  arts  of  useful  industry, 
and  then  freed  them.  Two  of  his  servants,  whom  he  designed  for  profes- 
sional life,  he  sent  to  Dr.  Junkin's  care  at  Lafayette  College,  to  be  educated. 
One  of  these  has  long  been  a  useful  teacher  in  Liberia.  It  is  a  suggestive 
fact,  that  when  black  men  were  excluded  from  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  Col- 
leges in  the  land,  Dr.  Junkin,  whom  his  opponents  tried  to  brand  as  a.  pro- 
slavery  man,  received  them.  Not  only  the  two  mentioned,  but  others 
received  instruction  under  him  ;  one  of  them,  the  son  of  an  African  king 
or  chief.  No  man  was  more  practically  and  truly  a  philanthropist;  and  he 
longed  and  labored  for  the  real  freedom  and  elevation  of  all  men,  irrespect- 
ive of  color. 


PLAN  OF  EMAAXIPATION. 


443 


to  the  grand  scheme  of  compensated  emancipation  and 
colonization.  His  scheme  was  substantially  the  same  with 
that  proposed  by  our  late  murdered  President.  Like  Mr. 
Lincoln,  Dr.  Junkin  perceived  the  immense  hardship,  if  not 
the  injustice,  of  any  sudden  breaking  up  of  the  system  of 
labor  which  had  prevailed  for  more  than  a  century  and  a 
half  in  the  Southern  country.  He  was  not  ignorant  of  the 
history  of  the  introduction  of  the  African  race  into  this  land 
as  slaves.  He  knew,  as  every  well-read  man  knows,  that 
the  African  slave-trade,  by  which  this  injured  race  had  been 
introduced  into  our  country,  had  been  carried  on  chiefly 
by  English  and  New  England  capital,  men,  and  ships,  and 
not  by  the  people  of  the  South  ;  that  the  Southern  people 
had  originally  been  merely  the  purchasers  of  "the  stolen 
chattels,"  whilst,  in  many  cases,  the  ancestors  of  the  very 
men  who  were  now  clamoring  for  the  destruction  of  that 
species  of  property  had  been  the  sellers  of  it.  A  sense  of 
public  justice  and  equity  led  his  mind,  as  it  did  that  of  Mr. 
Lincoln,  to  desire  that  slavery  might  be  removed  gradually, 
and  upon  a  plan  that  would  work  the  least  possible  amount 
of  injury  to  the  slave,  to  his  master,  and  to  the  republic. 
He  foresaw,  what  has  since  happened,  that  a  violent  aboli- 
tion of  the  evil  would  cost  an  ocean  of  blood  and  treasure, 
and  superinduce  a  state  of  things  which  would  imperil,  if  it 
did  not  destroy,  our  beautiful  and  beneficent  system  of 
government.  He  foresaw  that  the  abolition  movement,  if 
persisted  in,  would  lead,  as  it  has  done,  to  an  attempt  to 
sunder  the  American  Union  ;  which  attempt,  from  which- 
ever section  it  came,  would  involve  the  country  in  all  the 
horrors  of  civil  war.  He  knew  that,  if  such  an  attempt 
should  prove  successful,  it  would  inaugurate,  as  in  Europe, 
the  wars  of  many  generations ;  and  that,  if  unsuccessful, 
it  would  still  leave  the  sections  exasperated  against  each 
other,  with  no  real  bond  of  union  except  the  sword.  He, 
as  a  far-seeing  statesman,  knew  that  a  forced  Union  would 


444  LIFE    0F  DR-   GEORGE   JUNKIN. 

greatly  endanger  our  free  institutions  by  familiarizing  our 
people  with  military  coercion.  And  he  knew — or  thought 
he  knew — that  the  inevitable  results  of  a  military  emancipa- 
tion on  the  soil  would  be  the  arraying  of  race  against  race, 
in  mutual  and  enduring  prejudices,  if  not  in  a  war  of  ex- 
termination. Hence  his  warm  heart  and  active  brain  were 
early  employed  in  devising  a  scheme  for  removing  this  ter- 
rible evil,  in  a  way  and  by  a  process  that  would  avoid  these 
calamities.  His  scheme  was  compensated  emancipation 
and  colonization, — the  separation  of  the  races, — the  very 
scheme  to  which  President  Lincoln  stands  committed  in 
one  of  his  ablest  state  papers. 

With  such  views,  it  became  the  duty  of  every  good 
citizen  to  discourage  the  aggressive  abolition  agitation. 
Dr.  Junkin,  and  thousands  of  the  best  minds  and  hearts 
of  the  land,  desired  to  avoid  exasperating  the  sections  of 
the  country  against  each  other ;  hoping  that,  by  delay,  the 
South  might  discover  that  slavery  was  not  only  wrong,  but 
also  a  politico-economical  blunder ;  and  that  a  peaceable 
solution  of  the  great  and  alarming  problem  might  be 
reached. 

As  a  student  of  history  and  of  the  Bible,  he  had  learned 
that  grand  and  valuable  results  in  God's  providence,  are 
always  reached  by  slow  and  gradual  processes.  In  the 
case  of  one  of  the  greatest  emancipation  enterprises  ever 
accomplished, — one  which  was  achieved,  too,  by  preter- 
natural Divine  interposition, — the  process  was  gradual. 
For  centuries  God  had  permitted  his  covenant  people  to 
dwell  in  "the  house  of  bondage  ;"  and  when  the  hour  of 
emancipation  came,  the  instruments  of  deliverance  were 
required  first  to  reason  with  Pharaoh,  and  ask  him  to  let  the 
people  go  ;  nor  did  force  interpose  until  argument  and 
terror  had  exhausted  their  resources.  Even  after  the  exodus, 
it  required  forty  years  of  careful  training,  under  immediate 
divine  supervision,  to  fit  that  nation  of  slaves  for  freedom. 


OPINIONS   OF  CONSERVATIVES. 


445 


It  can  readily  be  conceived  that  a  conservative  mind,  im- 
bued with  such  views,  would  shrink  from  all  rash  attempts 
at  sudden  and  violent  abolition,  even  of  an  acknowledged 
evil ;  and  that,  when  driven  into  discussion,  he  would  re- 
sist doctrines  which  he  believed  tended  to  injure  both  his 
church  and  his  country,  whilst  they  did  not  promise  any 
real  benefit  to  the  slave  himself. 

Whether  Dr.  Junkin  and  the  conservative  men  of  the 
country  were  right  or  not,  has  not  yet  been  demonstrated 
by  events  ;  and  it  is  possible  that  such  a  demonstration  can 
never  now  be  made.  Their  plan  has  not  been  tried,  and 
now  never  can  be.  Slavery  is  gone,  so  far  as  the  system  in 
its  former  condition  is  concerned.  The  sword  has  cut  the 
Gordian  knot  which  reason  had  failed  to  untie ;  but  it  re- 
mains to  be  proven,  whether  the  fragments  of  the  cord  can 
ever  be  so  united  or  so  used  as  to  benefit  permanently  the 
emancipated  race.  Every  good  man  will  hope  and  pray 
and  labor,  that  the  best  results  may  be  attained ;  but  the 
intelligent  statesman  must  sorrowfully  feel,  that  the  tremen- 
dous problem  of  the  African  in  America  is,  as  yet,  far  from 
solution. 

Had  the  zealots  of  the  North  and  the  "fire-eaters"  of  the 
South  not  prevented  the  experiments  which  the  conserva- 
tives were  disposed  to  make,  it  might  have  been  that,  a  cen- 
tury hence,  happier  results  for  both  races  would  have  been 
secured  than  will  now  be  attained  in  that  time.  But  that 
can  never  now  be  known.  One  thing  is  already  manifest, 
— that  the  war,  under  which  slavery  went  down,  has  cost 
the  belligerents  a  much  larger  amount  of  money  than  would 
have  sufficed  to  carry  out  the  scheme  of  compensated 
emancipation,  which  Dr.  Junkin  suggested  as  early  as  1835, 
and  which  President  Lincoln  recommended  nearly  thirty 
years  afterwards — and  the  blood  might  have  been  saved. 

But  we  must  let  Dr.  Junkin  define  his  own  position  in 
regard  to  this  great  issue,  upon  which  he  has  been  so  much 

38 


446  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

misrepresented.  When  the  crisis  came,  and  it  was  neces- 
sary for  him  to  decide  whether  he  would  remain  under  the 
banner  that  had  been  raised  by  the  slaveholding  States,  or 
under  the  flag  that  his  father  had  aided  in  consecrating  to 
freedom,  he  hesitated  not  one  moment,  but,  as  we  shall  see, 
left  all,  and  stood  for  union  and  liberty.  In  the  introduc- 
tion of  his  speech,  he  says  : 

"  Mr.  Moderator, — Ever  since  modern  abolitionism  de- 
veloped its  true  character  it  has  been  my  policy  to  avoid  all 
public  discussion  of  the  subject.  The  anger  and  bitter- 
ness and  distraction  and  alienation  among  brethren,  which 
have  so  generally  attended  its  agitation,  early  convinced 
me  that  prudence  for  peace's  sake  required  the  exclusion 
of  this  exciting  controversy  from  our  church  courts ;  and 
this  policy  has  actuated  the  brethren  generally  with  whom 
I  have  been  called  to  act  in  my  former  field  of  labor. 
When  it  pleased  God  to  locate  me  in  a  new  field,  I  thought 
I  saw  additional  reasons  confirming  the  wisdom  of  this 
course.  It  was  early  impressed  upon  my  mind  that  this 
brand  had  already  kindled  a  fire  which  had  well-nigh  con- 
sumed Miami  University.  To  such  a  ruinous  degree  did 
the  fire  burn  within  her  bosom,  that  the  Trustees  took  up 
the  subject,  and  passed  strong  resolutions  condemnatory  of 
this  wildfire,  and  commendatory  of  a  more  prudent  course.* 
Hence  I  felt  called  upon  to  discourage  a  class  of  disputa- 
tions that  resulted  in  evil,  and  only  evil.  The  consequence 
is  peace  and  kindly  feeling  between  young  men  from  all  the 
States.  Hence  my  opposition  in  Presbytery  and  in  Synod 
to  all  attempts  (and  they  have  not  been  few)  to  agitate  and 
agitate  and  agitate  this  subject 

"  Sir,  we  have  been  bantered  into  a  discussion  of  this 
subject.  We  have  been  told  that  we  are  afraid  of  the  light ; 
afraid  to  meet  the  argument ;  that  it  would  soon  be  seen, 
upon  the  vote  to  take  up,  who  were  afraid  of  the  truth. 
Sir,  '  let  not  him  that  girdeth  on  his  harness  boast  himself 
as  he  that  putteth  it  off.'  It  may  appear  hereafter  who  will 
shrink  before  the  sword  of  the  Spirit." 

*  See  Annual  Catalogue  of  1840,  the  year  before  Dr.  J.'s  advent. 


INSINUATION  OF  COWARDICE.  447 

He  then  describes  the  effect  that  this  insinuation  of 
cowardice  had  upon  the  members  of  the  Synod,  especially 
the  young  men,  and  adds : 

"Thus  the  fire  passed  from  bosom  to  bosom,  and  thus 
the  present  speaker  was  left  in  a  lean  minority  of  four 
against  taking  up  the  slavery  resolutions.  He  had  been 
threshing  his  wheat  by  the  wine-presses,  to  hide  it  from  the 
Midianites,  and,  being  often  urged  to  go  forth  to  battle  in 
this  war,  he  had  declined.  Nevertheless,  he  had  put  a 
fleece  of  wool  upon  the  floor  to  obtain  a  sign  from  the 
Lord.  And  now  that  there  seems  to  be  no  longer  any 
evasion,  he  takes  it  to  be  the  Master's  will  that  he  should 
discuss  this  subject ;  and,  being  forewarned  by  others  than 
these  last  signs,  he  has  not  come  up  to  this  Synod  wholly 
unprepared.  Nor  is  it  my  purpose  to  skim  over  the  surface 
of  things.     If  we  must  discuss,  let  us  do  it  thoroughly. 

Shallow  furrows  make  short  corn  ;  and  shallow 
discussion  yields  a  light  harvest  of  knowledge.  Let  us 
take  time  to  dig  deep  for  the  golden  treasure  in  the  mine 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

"Notwithstanding  all  this,  Mr.  Moderator,  I  was  op- 
posed to  entering  upon  this  subject  here,  because " 

And  he  proceeded  to  specify  and  elaborate  a  number  of 
reasons,  which  cannot  be  here  inserted  at  length.  A  sylla- 
bus, however,  will  help  to  understand  the  real  position 
which  he  occupied  upon  this  subject : 

"  I.  Ecclesiastical  courts  in  a  Free  State  have  no  juris- 
diction of  any  kind  over  slavery. 

"II.  The  discussion  will  most  probably  degenerate  into 
a  mere  debate  or  hot  controversy,  in  which  something  else 
than  blood  will  be  shed.  Can  any  brother  who  considers 
the  excitability  of  the  public  mind  doubt  it?  Is  it  reason- 
able to  expect  that  slavery,  abolitionism,  and  colonization 
will  be  discussed  here  with  that  coolness  and  subdued  tem- 
per, which  their  importance  demands  and  Christian  courtesy 
requires?  Does  any  man  expect  it?  For  myself,  I  have 
passed  through  some  stormy  scenes,  and  have  learned  by 
experience  that  the  more  boisterous  the  elements  become, 


448  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

the  more  perfectly  all  my  faculties  are  at  command.  Breth- 
ren must  not  infer,  from  my  repugnance  to  this  discussion, 
that  individually  I  fear  the  heavings  of  the  billows  and  the 
violence  of  the  blast.  He  who  commands  me  into  these 
troubled  waters,  will  keep  me  in  safety.  .  .  .  Let  us 
follow  peace  with  all  men  as  much  as  lieth  in  us. 

"III.  I  object  to  entering  upon  the  abolition  contro- 
versy, in  an  ecclesiastical  court,  because  its  advocates  are 
organized  into  a  political  party. 

"There  is  a  sense  in  which  the  adage,  'Religion  has 
nothing  to  do  with  politics,'  is  true;  when  by  politics  is 
meant  party  wrangling  and  defamation.  But  there  is  also 
a  sense  in  which  the  proverb  is  corruptly  false,  when  by  it 
men  mean  that  the  obligations  of  religion  ought  to  have 
no  governing  influence  upon  political  conduct,  that,  for 
their  acts  in  affairs  of  government,  men  are  not  accounta- 
ble to  God,  but  only  to  the  people  or  to  party. 

"All  true  Presbyterians  believe  that  the  civil  government 
has  no  power  over  religious  matters;  and  that  officers  of 
the  church,  as  such,  have  no  kind  of  control  in  civil  affairs. 
Even  protection  for  person  and  property,  in  religious  privi- 
leges, we  ask  not  as  religious  men,  but  as  civil  citizens. 
As  members  of  the  civil  Commonwealth  we  have  a  right  to 
hold  property,  and  to  assemble  for  a  lawful  purpose ;  and 
the  law  protects  us,  not  because  we  are  religious  persons, 
but  civil  citizens.  ...  I  therefore  contend,  peremptorily, 
that  this  Synod  has  no  right  to  intermeddle  with  political 
partyism.  .  .  .  And  that  the  Abolition  party  is  organized 
as  a  political  party,  .  .  .  with  its  candidates  for  office, 
nominated  and  in  the  field,  from  the  Presidency  of  the 
Union  down,  no  one  disputes.  Let  officers  of  God's 
church  pause  a  little  upon  the  margin  of  this  crater,  before 
we  take  the  leap  of  Empedocles ;  let  us  calculate  conse- 
quences before  we  take  the  fearful  plunge. 

"  IV.  This  controversy  places  the  peace  party,  as  we  may 
call  ourselves  in  the  premises,  in  a  false  position.  It  lays 
us  open  to  the  illogical  and  unjust,  yet  plausible,  inference 
that  we  are  advocates  of  slavery.  The  brethren,  who  urge 
this  controversy  upon  us,  are  everywhere  known  as  aboli- 
tionists, anti-slavery  men  ;  men  who  labor  to  do  away 
slavery  from  the  land  and  from  the  world, — this  is  their 
boast.      They  wish  to  be   called   'the  Liberty  party.' 


FALSE  POSITION  OF  ABOLITIONISTS.         449 

Liberty,  what  things  have  been  done  in  thy  sacred  name  ! 
The  popular  mind  is  often  charmed  and  governed  by  a 
word,  and  the  moment  the  anti-slavery  men  of  this  school 
meet  with  any  opposition,  the  cry  of  pro-slavery  is  raised. 
Here  is  the  anti-slavery  party.  But  anti  means  against ;  if, 
then,  they  are  against  slavery,  whoever  opposes  them  must 
he  for  or  in  favor  of  slavery  :  for  and  against,  pro  and  anti, 
— there  it  is,  clear  to  a  demonstration.  All  who  oppose 
the  political  abolitionists  are  in  favor  of  slavery.  Such  is 
the  logic  that  actually  governs  many  a  mind.  Many  good, 
honest-hearted  people  do  not  know  how  to  escape  from  it. 
They  never  perceive  that  there  are  different  kinds  of  oppo- 
sition ;  that  men  may  be  opposed  to  a  thing  in  one  respect, 
yet  not  in  another.  Paul  was  a  sound,  clear-headed, 
warm-hearted  preacher  of  the  Gospel  ;  but  Peter  was 
opposed  to  Paul  on  a  certain  occasion  ;  therefore  Peter 
was  a  muddy-headed  and  heterodox  preacher.  This  is 
the  argument  by  which  opposers  of  ultra  abolitionism  are 
proved  to  be  pro-slavery  men.     Even  learned  divines  and 

erudite  editors  are  caught  in  this  cobweb We  are 

not  willing  that  honest-hearted  people,  by  a  little  false 
reasoning,  should  be  led  to  suppose  that  we  are  in  favor  of 
slavery.  We  are,  in  truth,  opposed  to  slavery,  and  are 
doing  as  much  in  our  respective  positions  to  abate  its  evils 
as  our  brethren  are.  We  differ  from  them  as  to  the  man- 
ner of  doing  away  with  these  evils ;  whilst  we  suppose  we 
are  much  more  efficient  in  the  matter  of  meliorating  the 
condition  of  the  colored  race.  No  disclaimer  will  avail. 
We  tell  the  world — we  tell  our  Christian  brethren — our 
objections  to  slavery.  We  point  to  Liberia,  the  land  of 
the  free  colored  man,  as  proof  of  our  success.  But  all  in 
vain, — you  are  opposed  to  the  political  anti-slavery  party, 
and,  therefore,  you  must  he  pro- slavery  men. 

"Such  is  the  false  position  in  which  the  shape  of  the 
question  puts  us ;  and  our  brethren  know  and  rejoice  in  it. 
They  make  the  charge,  and  hold  us  to  it,  unless  we  prove 
our  innocence.     All  advantages  are  fair  in  war  !" 

Having  thus  stated  his  objections  to  the  intermeddling 
of  the  church  courts  in  this  matter,  he  proposed  to  take 
up  the  question,  "What  does  the  Bible  teach  upon  this 
subject?"     And  having  explained  the  true  process  of  exe- 

3§* 


45  o  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

getical  analysis,  by  which  the  real  meaning  of  the  Scrip- 
tures was  to  be  ascertained,  and  the  synthetical  process,  by 
which  the  results  of  such  analysis  were  to  be  imparted  by 
a  teacher,  he  indicated  his  purpose  to  pursue  this  mode  in 
his  argument,  and  then  said  : 

"The  opposite  method  I  will  not  pursue;  it  is,  alas!  not 
uncommon  even  on  this  subject,  viz.,  first  to  determine 
what  the  truth  is, — what  the  Bible  ought  to  teach  on  a 
given  point,  and  then  come  to  it  in  order  to  make  it  teach 
accordingly.  Human  reason  sets  itself  to  work,  and  comes 
to  the  conclusion  that  such  a  doctrine  is  true,  and  then 
proceeds  to  examine  the  Bible  for  proof  of  its  truth ;  and, 
of  course,  what  a  man's  reason  assures  him  ought  to  be  in 
the  Bible,  the  same  reason,  with  the  aid  of  a  little  torturing 
engine  called  criticism,  can  easily  discover  in  it.  Accord- 
ing to  this  method,  one  afhrms,  'It  is  contrary  to  reason 
that  three  persons  should  exist  in  one  Godhead.'  He  then 
proceeds  to  examine  the  Bible,  not,  you  will  observe,  to 
ascertain  what  it  actually  does  teach  in  regard  to  the  mode 
of  the  Divine  existence,  but  to  interpret  the  Bible  language 
so  as  to  make  it  teach  his  own  preconceived  doctrine. 
Another  says,  '  If  the  horrible  doctrine  of  eternal  punish- 
ment were  taught  in  the  Bible,  I  would  kick  it  out  of  my 
house;'  and  yet  another,  'If  I  thought  the  Bible  tolerated 
slavery,  I  would  turn  infidel  and  trample  it  under  my  feet.' 
Now,  all  these  belong  to  the  same  school  of  interpreters. 
They  all  form  their  opinions  of  what  the  sacred  volume 
ought  to  say,  and  go  to  it  to  ascertain  whether  it  will  dare 
to  teach  differently  from  their  particular  notions  of  truth. 

"  But  is  not  all  this  folly?  .  .  .  Let  us  not  come  to  God 
to  tell  Him  what  He  ought  to  say  in  his  word  ;  but  let  us 
draw  near  with  holy  reverence  upon  our  spirits  to  learn 
what  He  hath  said." 

It  would  be  impracticable  to  attempt,  upon  these  pages, 
even  a  syllabus  of  the  argument  of  Dr.  Junkin  on  this 
occasion.  It  was  admitted  by  all,  but  those  whom  he 
opposed,  to  be  conclusive;  and  even  some  of  the  maturest 
scholars  among  the  anti-slavery  men  have  conceded  that, 
if  the  Bible  be  the  rule  of  morals,  Dr.  Junkin  has  demon- 


PATIENCE  AND  FORBEARANCE. 


45  x 


strated,  by  a  full  and  fair  exegesis  of  all  the  passages  which 
bear  upon  the  subject,  that  the  assumption  that  the  relation 
of  master  and  slave  is  of  itself  and  necessarily  a  sin,  cannot 
be  maintained.  Dr.  Junkin  did  not  argue  that  the  relation 
was  a  desirable  one,  or  a  normal  condition  of  society;  but 
that  it  might  exist  without  the  master  being  a  transgressor 
in  such  a  sense,  as  that  he  ought  to  be  excommunicated  from 
the  church  of  Christ,  and  that,  therefore,  the  church  had 
no  authority,  from  the  Scripture,  to  make  slaveholding  a 
term  of  communion.  He  was  unwilling  to  admit  a  principle 
which,  if  applied,  would  have  excommunicated  Abraham, 
the  father  of  the  faithful,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  Moses, 
and  David,  and  Cornelius  the  Centurion,  and  Philemon, 
Paul's  friend,  and  vast  numbers  of  the  primitive  Christians. 
He  was  unwilling,  in  opposition  to  what  he  really  believed 
to  be  the  teaching  of  the  Bible,  to  admit  a  postulate  in 
morals  that  tended  immediately  to  the  sundering  of  the 
unity  of  the  church,  and  to  the  dissolution  of  the  Union 
of  his  country.  He  plead  for  patience  and  forbearance. 
He  deprecated  measures  which,  he  foresaw,  would  deluge 
his  country  in  blood ;  and  he  endeavored  to  show  that  the 
Gospel  of  Peace,  if  left  to  its  normal  action,  would  inevi- 
tably remove  slavery,  and  all  like  evils,  from  our  world, 
but  that  it  forbids  the  use  of  the  sword  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  its  peaceful  and  beneficent  ends.  We  give  in  his 
own  words  the  conclusion  of  this  part  of  his  argument.  It 
seemed,  no  doubt,  to  his  opponents  like  the  tones  of  un- 
meaning alarm.  We  now  know  that,  although  not  inspired 
prophecy,  it  was  the  deduction,  by  reason,  from  the  well- 
known  laws  of  cause  and  effect,  of  the  result  which  might 
have  been  expected.  It  is  now  in  part  history, — history 
written  in  terrible  lines  of  blood  : 

"But  let  us  return  to  the  conclusion  furnished  by  the 
Scripture  argument.  Slavery  is  tolerated  in  the  Bible.  It 
is  not  made  a  term  of  communion,  by  the  King  of  Zion. 


452  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

Consequently  the  officers  of  his  church  have  no  power  to 
make  it  one.  Here  is  the  doctrine  for  which  we  contend  ; 
and  by  this  we  hope  to  save  this  fair  land  from  being 
deluged  in  the  blood  of  its  inhabitants,  and  this  free  nation 
from  the  chains  of  servitude  to  European  despots. 

"  Should  the  opposite  doctrine  prevail ;  should  the  hold- 
ing of  slaves  be  made  a  crime,  by  the  officers  of  the 
churches  of  the  non-slaveholding  States  ;  should  they  break 
communion  with  their  Southern  brethren,  and  denounce 
them  as  guilty  of  damning  sin,  as  kidnappers  and  man- 
stealers  worthy  of  the  penitentiary,  as  has  been  done  in 
this  Synod,  at  this  time ;  should  this  doctrine  and  this 
practice  prevail  throughout  the  Northern  States,  can  any 
man  be  so  blind  as  not  to  see  that  a  dissolution  of  the 
Union,  a  civil  and  perhaps  a  servile  war,  must  be  the  con- 
sequence? Such  a  war  as  the  world  has  never  witnessed, 
— a  war  of  uncompromising  extermination,  that  will  lay 
waste  this  vast  territory.  All  the  elements  are  here — the 
physical,  the  intellectual,  the  moral  elements — for  a  strife, 
different  in  the  horribleness  of  its  character  from  anything 
the  world  has  ever  witnessed.  Let  the  spirits  of  these 
men  be  once  aroused,  let  their  feelings  be  chafed  up  to  the 
fighting-point,  let  the  irritation  be  kept  up  until  the  North 
and  the  South  come  to  blows,  on  the  question  of  slavery, 
their  '  contentions  will  be  as  the  bars  of  a  castle,'  broken 
only  with  the  last  pulsations  of  a  nation's  heart. 

"  On  the  contrary,  let  the  opposite  doctrine  prevail,  and 
the  practices  which  necessarily  flow  from  it ;  let  the  North  feel 
for  their  Southern  brethren,  who  are  afflicted  with  slavery; 
let  the  churches  of  the  North  deal  kindly  and  truly  with 
those  of  the  South  ;  let  them  continue  to  recognize  and 
treat  them  as  Christian  brethren,  and  entreat  them,  and 
urge  them  to  '  give  unto  their  servants  that  which  is  just 
and  equal,'  to  treat  them  as  Christian  brethren;  let  them 
aid  them  in  the  splendid  scheme  of  colonization ;  let  them 
seek  union,  and  peace,  and  love,  and  they  will  not  seek  in 
vain.  Thus  the  integrity  of  the  nation  will  be  maintained. 
The  happiness  of  the  colored  race  will  be  promoted,  in  the 
highest  degree,  in  the  land  of  their  fathers.*     God  will  be 


*  It  is  an  impressive  fact  that,  after  the  war  ended,  by  the  destruction 
of  slavery,  large  numbers  of  the  blacks  are  emigrating  to  Africa.     Since 


OPINIONS   OF  THE   PUBLIC  PRESS. 


453 


glorified,   in    the  triumphant  success  of  free,   republican 
America." 

Of  course  the  delivery  of  this  argument,  and  the  publi- 
cation of  part  of  it,  aroused  an  intense  opposition  to  its 
author,  from  the  abolition  ranks.  The  speech  was  re- 
viewed with  great  acrimony,  as  was  to  be  expected  ;  at- 
tempts were  made  to  answer  it,  with  what  success  men 
would  decide  very  differently,  and  a  great  clamor  was 
raised  against  the  man,  as  an  advocate  of  slavery.  No 
candid  hearer  or  reader  of  the  speech  can  infer  from  it 
that  this  charge  was  just. 

On  the  other  hand,  this  argument  was  received,  by  the 
conservative  part  of  the  country,  as  the  most  conclusive, 
able,  and  temperate  that  had  been  presented.  It  was  very 
extensively  noticed,  and  other  editions,  besides  the  one 
originally  published,  were  produced  and  exhausted.  We 
cannot  transfer  to  these  pages  the  various  opinions  of  the 
public  press  in  regard  to  this  speech.  A  brief  one  from 
the  Protestant  and  Herald,  then  edited  by  Dr.  Hill,  will 
be  a  sufficient  specimen  of  the  approbatory  notices.  After 
giving  the  title,  in  the  usual  way,  that  paper  said  : 

"We  have  read  no  document  of  the  present  age  with 
more  interest  and  satisfaction  than  this.  Our  only  regret 
is,  that  the  author  has  not  given  us  the  whole  speech,  of 
which  we  had  heard  so  much  at  the  time  of  its  delivery. 
The  abolitionists  of  the  Synod  of  Cincinnati  had  made 
many  strenuous  efforts  to  commit  that  body  to  an  approval 
of  their  efforts.  The  Synod  from  time  to  time  laid  the 
subject  on  the  table,  refusing  to  discuss  it;  which  action  led 
the  former  party  to  suppose  that  the  majority  of  Synod 
were  afraid  of  discussion,  and  that  it  was  the  lack  of  moral 
courage  which  prevented  them  from  avowing  themselves  as 
abolitionists.  At  the  late  meeting  the  anti-abolition  party, 
after  much  provocation,  determined  to  take  up  the  subject, 

this  chapter  was  begun,  official  notice  has  been  given  of  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  asking  to  go  from  a  single  district  in  North  Carolina. 


454  LlEE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

and  give  it  a  fair,  full,  and  impartial  investigation.  In  the 
discussion,  Dr.  Junkin  took  a  very  prominent  part,  and 
was  requested,  by  some  of  the  ablest  members  of  the 
Synod,  to  write  out  his  speech  for  publication.  In  his 
pamphlet  before  us,  he  has  given  to  the  public  the  first 
part  only,  which  contains  the  scriptural  argument,  leaving 
it  doubtful  whether  the  whole  will  appear  or  not. 
The  main  argument  of  the  discourse  is  taken  up  in  estab- 
lishing the  position  that  the  Bible  tolerates,  but  does  not 
sanction,  the  relation  between  master  and  slave.  He  does 
this  by  examining  first  the  Old  Testament,  from  which  he 
establishes  the  following  propositions.  [Here  the  reviewer 
inserts  the  six  propositions.] 

"  He  next  examines  the  New  Testament,  from  which  he 
establishes  the  following  propositions  : 

"  I.  There  is  not,  in  the  New  Testament,  a  sentence  which 
expressly  forbids  the  relation  of  master  and  slave. 

"II.  There  is  not,  in  the  New  Testament,  a  sentence 
which,  by  a  fair  and  just  interpretation,  gives  ground  for 
the  logical  inference  that  the  simple  holding  of  a  slave,  or 
slaves,  is  inconsistent  with  a  Christian  profession  and  Chris- 
tian character. 

"  These  general  propositions  he  sustains  by  five  subordi- 
nate ones: — i.  That  the  Greek  word  doulos,  usually  trans- 
lated servant,  properly  and  commonly  means  a  person  held 
to  service  for  life, — a  slave.  2.  Paul  advises  servants  to 
abide  quietly  in  their  condition.  This  he  could  not  do, 
if  the  relation  of  master  and  servant  were  in  itself  a  sin. 
3.  The  New  Testament  recognizes  some  masters  as  good 
men, — true  and  faithful  believers.  Therefore  the  relation 
of  master  and  slave  may  exist  consistently  with  Christian 
character  and  profession.  4.  The  New  Testament  recog- 
nizes the  existence  of  slavery.  5.  The  New  Testament 
prescribes  the  duties  of  servants  to  their  masters,  and  of 
masters  to  their  servants, — enjoining  to  the  former,  obedi- 
ence ;  to  the  latter,  kind  treatment. 

"  From  the  whole  he  deduces  two  inferences,  viz.  : 

"I.  According  to  the  Bible  a  man  may  stand  in  the 
relation  of  a  master,  and  hold  slaves,  and  yet  be  a  Chris- 
tian— a  fair,  reputable,  and  consistent  professor  of  the  re- 
ligion of  the  Bible. 

"II.  There  is  no  power  on  earth,  no  authority  in  the 


DR.   J  UN  KIN'S  POSITION.  455 

church,  to  make  the  holding  or  the  not  holding  of  a  slave 
a  term  of  communion,  or  condition  of  admission  to  the 
privileges  of  the  church. 

"Each  of  these  propositions  is  sustained  with  great 
learning  and  eloquence,  and  we  venture  to  predict  that  the 
abolitionists  will  rue  the  day  when  they  forced  this  cham- 
pion into  the  field.  They  may  abuse  him  ;  they  may  call 
him  the  advocate  of  slavery,  and  many  other  hard  names  ; 
but  answer  his  argument  they  will  not.  We  give  his  closing 
remarks  as  a  specimen  of  the  whole."* 

Of  course  those  who  took  the  opposite  side  from  Dr. 
Junkin  put  a  very  different  estimate  upon  the  merits  of  the 
speech.  And  it  is  not  the  prerogative  of  his  biographer  to 
decide  between  the  friendly  and  hostile  opinions  that  were 
expressed.  Nor  is  it  his  province  to  determine,  whether  it 
was  wise  and  expedient  for  the  author  of  the  speech,  in  his 
circumstances,  to  throw  himself  into  the  breach  and  do  battle 
for  what  he  thought  to  be  right.  Of  one  set  of  facts  the 
writer  hereof  is  certain,  viz.,  that  Dr.  Junkin  thought  it  to 
be  right, — to  be  his  duty ;  that  he  sincerely  believed  the 
positions  he  maintained ;  that  he  honestly  supposed  that  he 
was  laboring  in  the  interests  of  truth,  peace,  and  brotherly 
kindness  among  Christians,  the  safety  and  union  of  his 
country,  and  the  ultimate  welfare  of  the  African  race ;  and 
that  if  he  erred  in  judgment,  he  erred  in  common  with 
very  many  of  the  mightiest  minds  and  the  purest  patriots 
of  his  generation.  If  his  name  and  his  fame  are  to  be  re- 
proached, on  account  of  this  well-meant  effort  to  arrest  a 
tide  of  opinion  which  he  believed  tended  to  the  ruin  of 
his  church  and  his  country,  they  will  be  reproached  along 
with  the  names  of  Webster,  Clay,  Frelinghuysen,  Southard, 
Cass,  Judge  MacLean,  Woodbury,  Douglas,  Lincoln,  and 
scores  of  other  illustrious  Northern  statesmen,  and  along 
with   the   names   of  Alexander,    Miller,    Hodge,    Green, 

*  Protestant  and  Herald,  Dec.  28,  1843. 


456  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

McElroy,  Phillips,  Cuyler,  Maclean,  Wilson,  Murray, 
Boardman,  Knox,  Milnor,  Potter,  Nott,  Finley,  Proudfit, 
and  hundreds  of  the  brightest  lights  of  the  church  of  all 
denominations. 

But  whilst  honesty  of  purpose,  conscientiousness  of  con- 
viction, and  pure  patriotic  motive  are  claimed  for  the  subject 
of  this  memoir,  the  same  is  accorded  to  those  who  differed 
in  opinion  with  him  in  that  ardent  controversy.  Good  and 
sincere  Christian  men  were  arrayed  upon  both  sides.  And 
if  it  shall  ever  be  ascertained  this  side  of  the  judgment  bar, 
which  of  the  contending  parties  was  nearest  the  truth,  and 
which  mode  of  removing  the  acknowledged  evils  of  slavery, 
if  fairly  tried,  would  have  accomplished  that  object  with  the 
least  injury  to  all  parties,  in  the  way  most  analogous  to  the 
modes  of  the  Divine  procedure,  and  with  the  largest  meas- 
ure of  good  to  the  whole  African  race  and  to  the  human 
family,  that  question  cannot  vet  be  determined.  The 
great  problem  is  in  process  of  solution  ;  but  the  social  phi- 
losopher who  would  undertake  to  pronounce  it  already 
solved,  would  only  prove  himself  capable  of  jumping  at 
conclusions  without  facts  to  sustain  them,  or  reasons  to 
justify  his  inferences.  Every  patriot,  North  and  South, 
ought  to  rejoice,  and  the  great  mass  of  the  people,  in 
both  sections,  do  rejoice,  that  slavery  has  been  removed  ; 
but  the  wisest  patriots  rejoice  with  trembling,  and  are  bend- 
ing their  efforts  to  lift  up  the  emancipated  race,  and  fit 
them  for  the  freedom  so  suddenly  thrust  upon  them.  If 
elevated  by  Christianity  and  education,  they  will  become 
civilized  and  free;  if  not,  they  will  relapse  into  barbarism. 
And,  so  long  as  he  lived,  no  American  was  more  solicitous  to 
promote  the  welfare  of  the  colored  people  than  Dr.  Junkin. 

The  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  met 
in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  in  1844.  Dr.  Junkin  was  elected 
Moderator.  His  younger  brothers,  Colonel  Benjamin  Jun- 
kin, an  elder,  and  the  writer  of  this  book,  were  also  mem- 


DR.  BRECKENRIDGE    ON  ORDINATION. 


45  7 


bers,  as  also  a  nephew.  It  is  not  necessary  to  say,  that 
a  man  so  familiar  with  the  constitution  and  the  rules  of 
order  presided  with  dignity  and  tact.  That  Assembly  was 
memorable  for  several  interesting  subjects  which  were  before 
the  body,  viz.,  the  questions  of  the  right  of  ruling  elders 
to  lay  on  hands  in  the  ordination  of  ministers  ;  the  ques- 
tion of  the  quorum  of  a  Presbytery;  and  the  action  of  the 
Assembly  in  regard  to  the  then  recent  exodus  of  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland  from  the  Establishment.  "The  Elder 
questions,"  as  they  were  technically  called,  were  brought 
up  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckenridge,  on  complaint 
against  the  action  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia.  Dr. 
Breckenridge,  and  those  who  acted  with  him,  held  that 
ordination  was  not  a  charm,  nor  a  sacrament,  nor  a  rite  pecu- 
liar to  the  teaching  ministry,  but  a  governmental  act, — that 
the  ceremony  of  laying  on  of  hands  was  merely  a  symbolical 
act,  denoting  consent  to  a  transfer  of  authority  to  perform 
certain  functions, — that  in  the  ceremony  there  was  no 
efficacy  opus  operatum,  such  as  the  clergy  only  could  exert ; 
and  that  all  the  men  constituting  the  Presbytery  who  could 
vote  to  grant  ordination,  or  to  refuse  it,  had  a  right  to  join 
in  the  ceremony  by  which  the  vote  was  carried  out,  in 
actual  ordination. 

They  held  that  scriptural  ordination  was  performed  "  by 
the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  Presbytery,"  and  that, 
as  a  Presbytery  is  composed  of  teaching  and  ruling  Pres- 
byters, the  Presbytery  does  not  properly  lay  on  hands  if 
half  of  its  members  are  thrust  aside  and  forbidden  to  join 
in  the  ceremony. 

Along  with  this  view,  they  also  held  that,  by  the  defini- 
tion of  a  quorum  (Form  of  Government,  chapter  x.,  sec. 
vii.),  the  presence  of  one  or  more  ruling  elders  was  neces- 
sary to  constitute  a  Presbytery.  In  this  view  many  con- 
curred, who  did  not  agree  with  Dr.  Breckenridge  in  his 
views  of  ordination. 

39 


458  LIFE   OF  DR.  GEORGE   JUNKIN. 

In  opposition  to  the  above  opinions,  it  was  urged,  that 
a  Presbytery  might  vote  many  acts  to  be  done  which  none 
but  the  ministers  could  properly  do.  The  ruling  elders 
might  vote  that  certain  sermons  might  be  preached,  but 
that  did  not  prove  that  elders  should  preach  them.  They 
might  vote  that  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  should  be 
administered,  but  they  could  not  assume  the  function  of 
dispensing  these  ordinances.  It  was  urged,  also,  that  a 
church  officer  could  not  confer  upon  another  a  function 
which  he  was  incompetent  to  perform  himself;  and  that 
immemorial  usage  had  confined  the  imposition  of  hands 
to  the  bishops  or  teaching  Presbyters. 

In  favor  of  the  position,  that  the  presence  of  one  or  more 
ruling  elders  is  necessary  to  constitute  a  quorum  of  Presby- 
tery, it  was  alleged,  that  the  definition  of  a  quorum  in  the 
book  specifically  mentions  the  elders;  that  if  the  framers  of 
the  constitution  had  meant  that  three  ministers,  without  any 
elder,  could  form  a  quorum,  they  would  have  said  so  ;  that  the 
words  "  as  many  elders  as  may  be  present"  could  not  mean 
"  without  any  elders  ;"  that,  in  every  description  of  a  Pres- 
bytery, two  constituent  elements  were  mentioned  ;  and  that 
to  admit  that  a  valid  Presbytery  could  be  constituted  with 
only  one  of  those  elements,  was  to  stultify  the  Book,  change 
our  representative  system  into  a  simple  hierarchy,  and  dis- 
courage the  attendance  of  the  ruling  elders  in  the  church 
courts. 

In  opposition  to  this  view,  it  was  urged  that  the  office 
of  ruling  elder  was  included  in  that  of  minister ;  that  the 
language  of  the  quorum  clause  was  designedly  left  indefi- 
nite; that  usage  and  expediency  had  sanctioned  this  inter- 
pretation of  it,  and  that  to  adopt  another  construction 
might  seriously  embarrass  the  transaction  of  Presbyterial 
business,  in  places  where  it  might  be  difficult  to  secure 
the  attendance  of  ruling  elders. 

These  questions  had  been  before  the  preceding  Assembly 


MEMORIALS  ABOUT  SLAVERY. 


459 


(1843),  and  decided  adversely  to  the  views  entertained  by 
Dr.  Breckenridge  and  many  others ;  and  it  was  on  this 
account  he  sought  a  reconsideration  of  them.  The  present 
writer  was  a  member  of  both  Assemblies,  and  agreed  with 
Dr.  B.  on  the  quorum  question,  and  was  the  author  of  the 
protest  presented  in  1843,  against  the  decision  on  that 
subject.  Dr.  Breckenridge  was  not  permitted  to  be  heard 
before  the  Assembly,  being  ruled  out  upon  a  technicality. 
The  questions  were  decided  against  his  views. 

Dr.  Junkin,  being  Moderator,  took  no  part  in  the  dis- 
cussion, but  it  was  well  known  that  he  was  with  the  majority 
upon  both  questions,  whilst  his  brothers  took  the  opposite 
view  of  the  quorum  question,  and  joined  in  a  protest  against 
the  decision. 

Memorials  upon  the  question  of  slavery  were  presented 
to  this  Assembly  from  the  Presbyteries  of  Chillicothe, 
Beaver,  and  others,  and  a  motion  was  made  to  treat  them 
with  disrespect.  One  member  moved  that  they  be  put 
under  the  table  ;  another,  that  they  be  not  received.  The 
present  writer  resisted  such  imprudent  action,  because  he 
thought  it  tended  to  exasperate,  and  was  an  infringement 
of  the  right  of  petition,  a  right  dear  to  all  freemen.  The 
petitions  were  decorous  in  language,  and  he  urged  that 
it  was  a  wiser  and  a  more  Christian  course  to  receive 
them  with  respect,  and  refer  them,  in  the  usual  way,  to 
the  appropriate  committee.  This  course  was  taken  ;  and 
the  writer  was  gratified  to  learn,  after  it  was  over,  that 
his  brother,  the  Moderator,  approved  of  his  action  in  the 
premises.  Thus,  in  the  great  emporium  city  of  a  slave 
State,  slavery  memorials  were  treated  with  parliamentary 
courtesy. 

But  the  most  interesting  incident,  in  the  history  of  the 
Assembly  over  which  Dr.  Junkin  presided,  was  the  recep- 
tion of  the  Commissioners  on  behalf  of  the  Free  Church 
of  Scotland,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Lewis  and  Chalmers,  and 


460  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

the  action  of  the  General  Assembly  in  regard  to  that  body, 
which  had  recently  renounced  the  Establishment,  and 
asserted  their  independence  of  the  civil  government.  The 
gentlemen  named  had  been  commissioned  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Free  Church  to  visit  the  churches  of  the 
United  States,  and  make  known  to  them,  as  they  might 
have  opportunity,  the  causes  of  their  self-denying  and 
heroic  exodus  from  the  church  established  by  law,  and  their 
assumption  of  a  separate  and  independent  ecclesiastical 
status. 

They  were  present  at  Louisville,  and,  at  an  appointed 
time,  were  presented  to  the  General  Assembly,  in  the 
presence  of  a  vast  concourse  of  people.  They  delivered 
to  Dr.  Junkin,  as  Moderator,  a  facsimile  copy  of  the  Act 
of  Separation  and  Deed  of  Demission,  by  which  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  explained  and 
vindicated  the  important  step  they  had  taken  in  renounc- 
ing connection  with  the  civil  government  of  Great  Britain, 
relinquishing  their  church  property,  their  houses  of  wor- 
ship, their  manses  and  glebes,  and  the  pecuniary  support 
hitherto  derived  from  the  State.  In  this  memorable  docu- 
ment they  set  forth  the  reasons  for  this  movement ;  declar- 
ing their  readiness  to  submit  to  any  privations  rather  than 
compromise  the  rights  of  Christ's  crown  and  covenant  by 
permitting  the  civil  authorities,  or  careless  or  ungodly 
patrons,  to  intrude  into  the  sacred  office  as  pastors,  in 
opposition  to  the  convictions  and  the  will  of  the  Presby- 
teries, men  of  improper  qualifications. 

Messrs.  Lewis  and  Chalmers,  in  earnest  and  eloquent 
addresses,  narrated  the  history  of  tjie  exodus,  and  set  forth 
the  reasons  therefor.  It  was  a  theme  well  calculated  to 
warm  the  heart  and  kindle  the  enthusiasm  of  such  a  man 
as  the  Moderator.  The  Church  of  Scotland  was  the  church 
of  his  ancestors.  Covenanter  blood  coursed  warmly 
through   his   veins.     He   gloried    in    the   history   of    the 


RECEPTION  OF  THE    COMMISSIONERS.         461 

church  of  North  Britain, — in  her  trials, — her  faithfulness, — 
her  martyrs, — her  glorious  struggle  for  the  truth  of  God, 
and  for  spiritual  freedom.  He  had  always  been  an  uncom- 
promising opponent  of  the  union  of  the  spouse  of  Christ 
with  Caesar,  and  of  the  support  of  the  church  by  law  and 
by  forced  taxation.  He  had  watched  with  intense  interest 
the  progress  of  the  struggle  of  the  friends  of  purity  and 
freedom  against  patronage  and  the  crown  and  the  tempo- 
rizing clergy,  ever  since  the  Auchterarder  case  attracted 
public  attention  ;  and  no  heart  more  truly  exulted  in  the 
triumph  of  right  principles,  and  the  demonstration  of  the 
recuperative  power  of  Presbyterianism,  than  did  his. 
When  he  rose,  therefore,  upon  the  Moderator's  dais  to 
respond  to  the  address  of  the  Scotch  delegation,  his  eye 
sparkled  with  that  peculiar  brilliance  which  all,  who  heard 
him  often,  recognized  as  the  harbinger  of  glowing  thoughts 
and  deep  feeling.  His  whole  countenance  was  radiant 
with  emotion  and  the  grand  associations  which  crowded 
upon  his  mind.  He  began  with  a  low,  distinct,  deliberate 
enunciation  that  was  heard  over  the  vast  assemblage,  and 
advanced,  through  a  speech  which  none  who  heard  it  will 
ever  entirely  forget,  rising  in  fervor,  in  feeling,  and  in  tone, 
until  a  thrilling  climax  was  reached.  He  welcomed,  in 
behalf  of  the  Assembly,  the  Commissioners  of  the  Free 
Church;  welcomed  them  to  the  hearts,  the  homes,  the 
churches,  and  the  fellowship  of  American  Presbyterians; 
welcomed  them  as  the  representatives  of  a  great  body  of 
believers,  whose  recent  struggles  and  sacrifices  had  proved 
them  worthy  of  a  glorious  ancestry,  and  as  representatives 
of  great  principles,  which,  long  recognized  on  this  side  the 
water,  had  at  last,  in  despite  of  mighty  repressing  influences, 
nobly  asserted  themselves  in  the  land  of  the  Covenanters. 
He  congratulated  the  Commissioners  upon  being  the  repre- 
sentatives of  such  men  and  of  such  principles.     He  gave 

39* 


462  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

a  rapid,  but  glowing,  glance  at  the  history  of  past  religious 
struggles  in  the  land  from  which  they  came.  He  spoke 
of  Knox,  and  Henderson,  and  Renwick,  and  Argyle,  and 
many  of  the  Scottish  worthies  and  martyrs,  who  had  bat- 
tled and  suffered  for  the  rights  of  Christ's  crown  and 
covenant.  He  rapidly  traced  the  progress  of  free  opinion 
as  it  struggled  up  against  the  weight  of  the  crown  and  the 
crosier.  He  recapitulated  the  incidents  of  the  recent 
conflict  which  ended  in  the  disruption,  and  hailed  that 
movement  as  an  august  triumph  of  the  principle  of  religious 
liberty.  He  then  recurred  to  the  signing  of  the  national 
league  and  covenant,  described  the  sublime  scene  of  its 
ratification  by  the  masses  with  hands  uplifted  to  heaven, 
whilst  tears  of  enthusiasm  rolled  over  their  unblanching 
cheeks.  He  compared  to  this  the  recent  gathering  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  and  the 
exodus  of  the  friends  of  freedom,  their  imposing  procession 
through  the  streets  of  Edinburgh  with  the  illustrious  Chal- 
mers at  their  head.  He  then  alluded  to  the  signing  of  the 
solemn  document  (the  Act  of  Separation)  a  copy  of  which 
he  held  in  his  hand — said  its  signers  were  worthy  followers 
of  those  who  had  battled  for  Christ's  crown  and  covenant 
beneath  "the  banner  of  the  blue," — declared  that,  in  his 
judgment,  the  men  of  the  exodus,  who  had  made  such 
sacrifices  and  renounced  such  temporal  advantages  for  the 
sake  of  religious  liberty,  had  taken  a  step  far  in  advance  of 
their  worthy  ancestors,  and  when  they  signed  and  unfurled 
the  declaration  which  sundered  their  connection  with  the 
civil  power, — when  they  flung  forth  this  glorious  banner 
inscribed  with  some  of  Scotland's  most  illustrious  names, 
they  raised  a  standard  around  which  would  play  the  bright- 
est beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  and  which  would 
never  be  lowered  until  the  principles  of  truth  should 
triumph,  and  the  whole  church  and  the  whole  world  be 
free  ! 


AN  IMPRESSIVE   SCENE.  463 

As  he  pronounced  the  word  "flung,"  he  threw  forth  the 
document  in  front  of  him,  retaining  in  his  hand  the  baton 
upon  which  it  was  rolled  up,  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
scroll  instantly  unfurled,  and  displayed  to  the  Assembly 
and  the  audience  its  entire  length,  with  its  engrossed 
declaration  and  its  long  list  of  distinguished  names.  The 
effect  was  electric.  It  was  done  at  the  moment  when 
his  voice  had  reached  its  most  impassioned  tone.  The 
vast  assemblage  was  thrilled.  Few  eyes  were  dry.  Rarely 
has  a  finer  impression  been  produced  by  a  public  address. 

There  are  members  of  that  Assembly  still  living,  and 
many  others,  who  will  remember  the  scene  here  so  imper- 
fectly described.  It  was  deeply  engraven  upon  the  mind 
and  the  memory  of  the  writer  of  these  pages  ;  and  although, 
after  the  lapse  of  twenty-seven  years,  he  does  not  pretend 
to  give  the  precise  words  of  the  Moderator  of  the  Assem- 
bly, he  thinks  those  that  were  present  will  recognize  the 
meagre  syllabus  as  substantially  correct  so  far  as  it  goes, 
and  that  all  will  concede  that  the  description  is  rather 
underdrawn  than  exaggerated.  Its  impromptu  and  spon- 
taneous character  made  the  address  and  its  manner  all 
the  more  effective.  The  writer,  who  occupied  the  same 
room  with  his  brother  during  the  sessions  of  the  Assembly, 
knows  that  he  had  made  no  preparation  for  the  occasion, 
unless  such  as  might  be  made  in  a  rapid  walk  from  his 
lodgings  to  the  church. 

The  General  Assembly  adopted  a  paper  warmly  approv- 
ing of  the  conduct  of  the  Free  Church  in  renouncing 
the  Establishment ;  deeply  sympathizing  with  them  in  the 
sacrifices  they  had  made;  bidding  them  God-speed  in  the 
maintenance  of  their  new  position,  and  the  grand  princi- 
ples which  led  to  it ;  urging  the  ministers  and  churches 
under  the  care  of  the  General  Assembly  to  aid  their 
Scotch  brethren   with  material   means,  and   inviting  the 


464  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

Free  Church  to  a  correspondence  by  an  interchange  of 
delegates. 

After  the  Assembly  was  dissolved,  Dr.  Junkin  returned 
to  Oxford,  where  he  continued  his  labors  in  the  University, 
passing  through  some  scenes  of  external  trial  that  have 
been  already  narrated. 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

Dr.  Yeomans  President  of  Lafayette  College — His  Administration — Re- 
signs— Dr.  Junkin  recalled — Causes  thereof— Mode  of  it — Faculty  at  that 
Time — Return — Assembly  of  1845 — His  Opening  Sermon — Doings  of 
that  Body  in  which  he  shared — Deliverance  on  Slavery — On  Romish 
Baptism— Newspaper  Discussion  on  that  Subject — Marriage  Question- 
Charge  to  Mr.  Knox  —  Second  Church,  Easton  — Opposition  to  it  — 
Troubles  arising  therefrom  in  the  College — Student  Drowned — Dr.  Jun- 
kin elected  President  of  Washington  College — Sketch  of  its  History — 
Visits  Lexington — Domestic  Affliction — Accepts  the  Call  to  Washington 
College  —  Resume  of  Lafayette  —  Her  distinguished  Alumni  —  Farewell 
Scenes. 

NOT  long  after  Dr.  Junkin  was  translated  to  Miami 
University,  the  Rev.  John  W.  Yeomans  was  inau- 
gurated President  of  Lafayette  College.  He  had  been 
pastor  at  Williamstown,  Mass.,  and,  more  recently,  pastor 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Trenton,  New  Jersey, 
where  he  had  succeeded  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  James  W. 
Alexander.  Mr.  Yeomans,  soon  after  his  accession  to 
Lafayette,  received  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity,  and  we  shall  speak  of  him  by  that  title.  He 
had,  upon  invitation  of  the  Brainerd  Society  of  Lafa- 
yette College,  delivered  an  address  before  them  during 
Dr.  Junkin's  presidency.  This  address  drew  attention  to 
him  as  a  man  of  mind  and  scholarship.  It  was  marked  by 
that  vigor  of  thought  and  lucidness  for  which  its  author 
was  remarkable. 

When,  therefore,  Dr.  Junkin  had  made  up  his  mind  to 
resign  the  presidency,  Dr.  Yeomans  was  among  those  early 
spoken  of  as  his  successor  ;  and,  as  we  have  seen,  Dr.  Junkin 
made  him  a  visit,  and  prepared  the  way  for  his  election. 

(465) 


466  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

He  was  duly  chosen  and  inaugurated,  and  entered  upon  his 
duties  with  zeal  and  ability.  The  writer  of  these  pages 
continued  for  some  time  to  be  a  member  of  the  Faculty  of 
instruction  in  the  College,  occupying  the  Chair  of  Belles- 
Lettres,  and  was  thus  so  associated  with  Dr.  Yeomans  as 
to  have  good  opportunities  of  forming  an  estimate  of  his 
talents,  scholarship,  and  capabilities.  And  it  is  his  de- 
liberate judgment  that  he  was  eminently  qualified,  in 
most  respects,  for  such  a  position.  He  had  brain,  was  a 
thinker  of  very  superior  order,  a  ripe  and  accurate  scholar, 
a  terse,  lucid,  and  forcible  writer,  a  master  of  great  pulpit 
power,  understood  the  philosophy  of  education,  and  was 
excelled  by  very  few  as  a  clear,  skilful,  and  practically 
effective  teacher.  It  was  a  mystery  to  many  that  he  did 
not  succeed  better  as  the  head  of  a  college,  for  he  possessed 
so  many  of  the  qualifications  for  such  an  office. 

His  want  of  success  was  not  attributable  entirely,  per- 
haps not  chiefly,  to  himself;  and  yet  there  were  two  or 
three  traits  of  disposition  that  barred  his  full  success.  He 
wore  a  cold  and  reserved  exterior,  a  phlegmatic  manner 
which  made  the  impression  that  he  lacked  heart.  But  this 
was  not  so ;  for  often,  when  drawn  out  in  an  unbending 
mood,  he  was  a  very  genial  and  interesting  companion. 
Still  it  was  true  that  his  development  was  intellectual  rather 
than  affectional,  and  whilst  in  the  pulpit  or  in  other 
public  speech,  he  could  rouse  and  play  with  or  allay 
any  passion  of  the  human  mind,  he  himself  would  at  the 
same  time  seem  to  be  passionless.  This  habitude  dis- 
qualified him  from  finding  his  way  to  the  hearts  of  young 
men,  and  when  trouble  arose,  either  within  the  college,  in 
the  administration  of  discipline,  or  from  without,  he  had 
not  ardent  friends  to  rally  to  his  support.  Encoun- 
tering many  of  the  same  difficulties  which  met  his  prede- 
cessor, arising  out  of  deficient  endowment  of  the  institu- 
tion, he  probably  lacked   his  patience  in  enduring  them. 


RESIGNATION  OF  DR.    YE O MANS.  467 

And  questions  of  policy  arising  between  him  and  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  he,  towards  the  close  of  his  administration, 
found  nearly  the  same  parties  arrayed  against  him  whose 
want  of  cordial  co-operation  had  discouraged  the  former 
President.  This  he  might  have  disregarded  if  he  had  been 
sustained  by  warm-hearted  loyalty  among  the  students. 
But  whilst  they  could  not  but  admire  his  great  abilities  and 
qualifications  as  an  instructor,  his  reserved  manner  had  kept 
him  from  their  hearts,  and  he  had  not  fully  their  moral  sup- 
port. After  a  laborious  and  faithful  occupancy  of  the  place 
for  some  three  years  and  a  half,  he  resigned  it,  and  left 
Easton. 

It  is  but  simple  justice  to  Dr.  Yeomans'  memory  to  say, 
that  he  rendered  very  valuable  service  to  Lafayette  College. 
He  kept  the  standard  of  scholarship  at  the  full  elevation 
at  which  he  found  it,  and  introduced  some  beneficial 
changes.  He  encouraged  and  required  thorough  study, 
and  the  literary  morale  of  the  institution  did  not  suffer  in 
his  hands. 

Upon  his  resignation,  there  seemed  to  be  a  spontaneous 
turning  of  all  minds  to  Dr.  Junkin  as  the  man  best  suited 
to  fill  the  post  of  President  in  the  college  he  had  founded. 
Without  any  apparent  concert,  his  name  was  in  every 
mouth  ;  nor  is  it  known  to  this  day  from  whom  the  sug- 
gestion first  came.  The  students,  the  citizens  of  Easton 
and  vicinity,  neighboring  ministers,  and  gentlemen  of 
prominence,  in  the  Board  of  Trustees  and  out  of  it,  all 
began  to  ask,  "  Would  Dr.  Junkin  return?"  His  brother, 
the  present  writer,  lived  a  few  miles  from  Easton,  in  New 
Jersey.  He  had  resigned  the  chair  he  held  in  the  Col- 
lege some  years  before,  on  account  of  the  increase  of  his 
pastoral  duties,  and  took  no  part  in  the  councils  of  the  In- 
stitution. He  was  surprised  with  the  inquiry,  "Do  you 
think  it  possible  your  brother  would  return  to  Easton?" 
and  still  more  surprised  to  learn  that  before  he  heard  it,  or 


468  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE   JUNKIN. 

had  thought  it  probable  such  a  wish  should  prevail,  it  was 
generally  spoken  of  in  the  community. 

The  Board  of  Trustees,  feeling  a  weight  of  responsibility 
for  the  success  of  the  Institution,  moved,  too,  by  this 
generally  prevailing  sentiment  of  the  community  and  of 
the  students,  and  no  doubt  prompted  by  their  experience 
of  Dr.  Junkin's  former  administration,  and  by  confidence 
in  his  qualifications,  elected  him  President,  and  invited  his 
return.  It  was  unsought  and  unexpected  by  him  or  any 
of  his  kindred,  and  the  announcement  took  him  by  sur- 
prise. 

The  vote  for  his  recall  was  unanimous  in  the  Board. 
The  nomination  was  made  by  one  of  the  members,  and 
seconded  by  another,  from  neither  of  whom  such  a  move- 
ment could  have  been  expected.  But  both  of  these  gen- 
tlemen not  only  took  the  lead  in  the  re-election  of  Dr. 
Junkin,  and  joined  in  the  official  request  for  his  acceptance, 
but  they  wrote  private  letters  assuring  him  of  a  cordial 
reception  and  co-operation. 

Some  of  the  students,  who  had  entered  the  lower  classes 
whilst  Dr.  Junkin  was  President,  were  still  in  the  College, 
and  longed  for  his  return  ;  and,  indeed,  there  had  been 
kept  up  a  sort  of  traditional  feeling  of  regard  for  him, 
which  was  participated  by  many  who  did  not  personally 
know  him.  Besides  this,  he  had  been  invited,  in  1842,  to 
deliver  the  annual  address  before  the  Literary  Societies  of 
the  College.  He  had  accepted  the  invitation,  and  pro- 
nounced a  very  effective  and  eloquent  discourse  on  "  The 
Spirit  of  Protestant  Colonization  of  North  America."  The 
students  passed  resolutions  expressive  of  their  desire  that 
he  would  yield  to  the  request  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  and 
resume  the  Presidency.  Citizens  of  Easton,  and  clergymen 
of  the  vicinage,  wrote  letters  of  encouragement ;  and  at 
last,  after  examining  with  care  into  the  state  of  affairs,  his 
brother  joined  in  the  request. 


ASSEMBLY   OF  1845.  469 

He  was  no  longer  expected  to  assume  the  pecuniary  re- 
sponsibility of  the  Institution.  He  was  guaranteed  a  fixed 
salary,  and  the  Board  undertook,  as  they  had  done  during 
the  administration  of  Dr.  Yeomans,  the  management  of 
the  funds  of  the  College.  The  result  of  all  was,  that  he 
returned  to  Easton,  in  October,  1844,  and  resumed  his 
labors  in  the  still  favorite  field  of  his  former  toils. 

At  the  time  of  his  resumption  of  the  Presidency,  the 
Faculty  of  the  College  consisted  of  Rev.  Charles  W. 
Nassau,  Professor  of  Languages ;  Washington  McCartney, 
Esq.,  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy; 
David  Yeomans,  Esq.,  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Rector 
of  the  Normal  School,  and  Hon.  J.  M.  Porter,  Professor 
of  Law.  In  1846,  Professor  McCartney  resigned,  and  Pro- 
fessor James  H.  Coffin  was  elected. 

After  his  entrance  upon  his  official  duties  at  Easton,  the 
life  of  Dr.  Junkin  was,  for  some  years,  little  diversified  by 
incidents  out  of  the  ordinary  routine.  He  performed  his 
duties  with  his  accustomed  zeal  and  energy,  and  the  Insti- 
tution over  which  he  presided  continued  to  grow  in  repu- 
tation and  usefulness.  As  formerly,  he  was  ever  ready  to 
lend  a  helping  hand  to  his  brethren  in  the  pastoral  office ; 
and,  in  fact,  preached  the  gospel  as  often  and  as  earnestly 
as  if  he  had  been  a  pastor,  and  was  as  constant  in  attend- 
ance upon  the  church  courts. 

In  May,  1845,  ne  went  to  Cincinnati  as  a  Commissioner 
to  the  General  Assembly,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Newton. 
He  opened  the  Assembly  with  a  sermon  from  John  viii.  32, 
"The  truth  shall  make  you  free,"  and  presided  until  an- 
other Moderator  was  chosen.  The  sermon,  delivered  upon 
this  occasion,  was  published,  at  the  request  of  many  mem- 
bers of  the  General  Assembly,  during  the  sessions  of  that 
body,  making  an  octavo  pamphlet  of  twenty-eight  pages. 

This  discourse  made  a  strong  impression  at  the  time,  and 
may  have  had  some  influence  upon  the  deliverances  of  the 

40 


470  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUKKIN. 

Assembly  that  year,  upon  the  question  of  human  freedom. 
It  evolves  the  author's  theory  of  the  process  by  which  true 
liberty  is  to  be  obtained  and  perpetuated  among  a  race 
once  fallen.  The  first  sentences  disclose  the  author's  views 
of  genuine  piety : 

"  In  the  absence  of  practical  holiness,  there  can  be  no 
sufficient  evidence  of  true  piety.  Speculative  orthodoxy, 
deep  and  pungent  conviction,  emotions  of  joy  even  to 
ecstasy,  high-toned  and  fiery  zeal,  may  all  have  existed, 
and  most  of  them  may  co-exist,  and  yet  the  heart  not  be 
right  with  God.  It  is  easy  to  say,  Lord,  Lord  ;  to  avow  our 
belief  in  the  doctrines  of  religion,  to  love  in  tongue,  to 
attach  ourselves  to  some  division  of  the  great  Christian 
army;  .  .  .  but  to  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith,  to 
evince  the  truth  and  reality  of  our  love  by  actions,  to  em- 
body the  doctrines  of  religion  in  a  life  of  holiness,  and 
show  to  all  men  that  we  are  freed  frcrtn  the  bonds  of  cor- 
ruption ;  this  is  a  different  matter.  Yet  this  is  indispensa- 
ble as  an  evidence  of  discipleship." 

He  discussed  the  subject,  "Truth  and  Freedom,"  under 
three  heads : — I.  Man's  estate  of  slavery  to  sin  ;  II.  His 
restoration  to  freedom ;  III.  The  means  of  his  restora- 
tion. 

I.  He  very  briefly  pointed  out  the  causes  and  the  nature 
of  man's  bondage  to  sin: — i.  Sin  entered  through  the 
door  of  the  understanding.  The  leading  faculty,  judgment, 
first  failed  by  reason  of  false  perceptions.  The  mind  cannot 
determine  in  favor  of  evil  as  such.  Nothing  can  become  a 
prevalent  motive  to  action,  but  that  which  appears  good. 
Our  first  mother,  "being  deceived,  was  in  the  transgres- 
sion." Hence — 2.  Ignorance  of  God,  of  ourselves,  and  of 
our  relations  to  Him,  produces  and  belongs  to  our  moral 
degradation.  3.  The  pride  of  free  will  is  the  strongest 
link  in  the  chain  of  human  bondage.  .  .  .  Scorning 
subordination  to  the  will  of  his  Maker,  man  threw  himself 
upon  his  own  sovereignty,  and  plunged  into  the  abyss  of 


OPENING   SERMON. 


471 


woe.  4.  This  leads  to  a  total  debasement  of  the  affections, 
which  rivets  his  manacles.  5.  This  produces  utter  indis- 
position and  incapacity  of  this  slave  of  sin  to  break  off  his 
chains  and  restore  himself  to  true  freedom. 

II.  Under  this  head  he  stated  and  answered  the  question, 
What  is  true  freedom?  And,  after  a  careful  and  thorough 
analysis,  he  declared  it  to  be  voluntary  and  cheerful  action 
in  obedience  to  the  rule  of  right, — -pleasing  to  do  right, — 
doing  the  will  of  God  from  the  heart.  And  he  proves 
that  freedom  in  doing  wrong  is  the  opposite  of  this, — is 
slavery. 

III.  He  pointed  out  the  means  of  restoration, — the 
Truth. 

True  knowledge  of  God,  law,  duty,  connected  with  a 
true  and  heart-swaying  knowledge  of  the  way  in  which  a 
creature,  once  fallen,  can  be  brought  to  a  state  of  cheerful 
obedience  to  the  rule  of  right — this  is  found  in  the  grand 
remedial  law, — the  Gospel, — which  contains  all  the  ele- 
ments of  freedom  ;  and  which,  when  made  effectual  upon 
the  heart  by  the  Spirit  of  freedom, — i.e.  the  Holy  Ghost, — 
makes  the  man  free  with  the  glorious  liberty  of  a  child  of 
God.  He  shows  that  the  soul  which  truly  believes  in  the 
vicarious  obedience  and  death  of  the  Son  of  God,  will,  by 
the  power  of  that  faith,  be  made  to  love  God  and  his  law, 
— to  love  the  right, — and  to  do  it  freely,  cheerfully ;  and 
when  a  man  pleases  to  do  right,  he  can  safely  do  as 
he  pleases, — he  is  free.  He  draws  a  contrast  between  the 
free-will  scheme  and  the  free-graee  scheme ;  and  shows 
that  the  latter  only  can  produce  true  liberty,  whilst  the 
former  leads  away  from  God  and  the  right,  and  into  deeper 
bondage.  He  traced  the  history  of  these  two  antagonistic 
systems,  and  exhibited  their  workings  in  human  society, 
and  their  past  influence  upon  the  morals  and  the  liberties 
of  mankind;  and  having  exhibited  the  facts,  he  explained 
their  philosophy.     In  doing  this,  he   demonstrated    that 


472  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

spiritual  freedom,  as  produced  by  the  grand  truth  of  the 
Gospel,  in  its  natural  outgrowth,  produced  personal,  social, 
and  political  freedom.  After  designating  other  elements 
of  social  liberty,  embodied  in  the  remedial  law, — the  free- 
grace  system, — he  points  to  one  distinguishing  element,  as 
follows : 

"But  the  principal  point  of  special  adaptation  in  the 
free-grace  system  to  be  the  precursor  and  promoter  of  a 
free  system  of  government,  is  found  in  its  federative  or 
representative  principle.  We  have  only  to  transfer  this 
prominent  feature  of  our  theology  into  government,  eccle- 
siastical and  civil,  and  religious  and  political  liberty  are 
both  secured.  That  this  transfer  should  be  made  first  into 
the  social  body  called  the  church,  when  framing  her  form 
of  government,  is  exceedingly  natural ;  and  such  was  the 
fact.  The  churches,  in  the  very  first  age,  organized  their 
government  on  this  principle.  They  built  up  an  imperium 
in  itnperio, — an  ecclesiastical  government  within  the  civil, — 
an  extended  plan,  which  gave  the  people  the  choice  of 
their  own  immediate  spiritual  rulers,  and  the  right  of  being 
represented  in  all  the  courts  of  the  church  by  their  own 
chosen  officers.  Thus  sprang  up  in  the  Christian  church 
a  representative  government,  limited,  in  its  action,  to 
matters  purely  religious,  and  interfering  not  at  all  with  the 
civil  affairs  of  the  empire ;  but  always  seeking  the  peace 
of  the  world  and  the  glory  of  God.  The  light  of  this 
spiritual  rule  continued  to  shine  upon  the  path  of  the 
Roman  monarchy,  Pagan  and  Christian,  until,  finding 
itself  in  peril  of  sinking  under  accumulated  difficulties,  the 
monarchy  threw  out  its  arms  for  help  and  grasped  the 
Church.  From  this  coalition  resulted  the  hybrid  monster 
of  the  Papal  despotism.  Upon  its  development,  and 
before  its  cruel  tyranny,  the  true  church — Christ's  own 
holy  spouse,  the  republic  ecclesiastical — retired  into  the 
fastnesses  of  the  Alps,  the  Grisons,  the  Apennines,  the 
Pyrenees,  the  mountains  of  Bohemia,  the  hills  of  Caledonia, 
the  wilds  of  America.  In  this  last  wilderness  retreat, 
after  centuries  of  iron  oppression  and  compression,  the 
grand  representative  principle,  which  the  true  church  had 
preserved,  found  room  to  expand  itself  in  the  ecclesiastical 


DISTINGUISHED   DELEGATES.  473 

and  to  pass  over  into  the  civil  government.  The  result  is, 
a  vast,  free,  republican  empire,  founded  upon  the  broad 
basis  of  federal  representation  !  How  interesting  the  fact  ! 
How  beautiful  the  philosophy  !  The  truth  shall  make  you 
free  ! 

"Fathers  and  brethren  beloved,  you, — and  thereby  I 
mean  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, — 
and  in  this  I  mean  no  offence  to  other  denominations  who 
(I  rejoice  to  know)  hold  the  same  doctrines, — you  have  a 
fearful  responsibility  in  reference  to  the  truth.  To  your 
hands  hath  the  Captain  of  Salvation  committed  the  Pro- 
testant banner.  Yours  be  the  honor  of  rallying  round  the 
flag  of  the  covenants,  during  the  conflicts  of  the  present 
times,  and  during  that  fearful  war  of  opinion  to  which 
all  Christendom  looks  forward  with  such  trembling  solici- 
tude. Yours,  I  confidently  believe,  is  the  glorious  destiny 
of  bearing  it  onward,  over  hill,  and  dale,  and  valley,  and 
moor,  and  mountain,  until  beneath  its  ample  folds  and 
heavenly  sway,  all  the  nations  shall  rejoice  in  the  freedom 

Of  THE  TRUTH  !" 

Dr.  Junkin's  fellow-student,  and  life-long  friend,  Dr. 
John  Knox,  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Assembly  this 
year  from  the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Church,  and 
they  had  much  pleasant,  fraternal  intercourse.  Dr.  N.  L. 
Rice,  Dr.  John  T.  Edgar,  Dr.  James  H.  Thornwell,  Dr. 
J.  C.  Lord,  Dr.  Krebs,  Dr.  McGill,  Dr.  Jos.  T.  Smith,  and 
others  distinguished  for  ability,  learning,  and  practical 
wisdom,  were  members  of  the  Assembly.  Among  the 
ruling  Elders  were  Judges  Grier  and  Leavitt,  and  Hon. 
Walter  Lowrie.  According  to  an  immemorial  usage,  Dr. 
Junkin,  as  the  retiring  Moderator,  was  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Bills  and  Overtures.  A  number  of  im- 
portant subjects  came  before  that  committee,  and  were 
reported  to  the  house. 

Among  these  Overtures  was  one  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Ohio,  asking  for  a  decision  of  the  question,  "Is  Baptism 
by  the  Church  of  Rome  valid?"  It  was  proposed  to 
answer  the  question  in  the  negative.     This  led  to  a  long 

40* 


474  LIFE    0F  DR-   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

and  animated  debate,  continuing  through  parts  of  six 
sessions.  It  was  finally  decided  to  answer  the  question  in 
the  negative,  173  voting  for  that  deliverance,  8  against 
it,  and  6  non  liquet.  A  committee,  of  which  Dr.  Junkin 
was  one,  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  paper  explanatory  of 
the  grounds  of  this  action.  This  committee  prepared  a 
paper  which  was  adopted  by  the  Assembly.  This  decision 
led  to  a  subsequent  discussion  of  the  question  through  the 
press,  in  which  Dr.  Junkin  took  a  somewhat  prominent 
part.  The  Princeton  Review  disapproved  of  the  decision 
of  the  Assembly,  and  published  some  able  arguments  in 
opposition  to  it.  Dr.  Junkin,  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckenridge,  and 
others  defended  the  action  of  the  Assembly.  In  that 
decision  the  church  has  ever  since  acquiesced. 

As  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Bills  and  Overtures, 
Dr.  Junkin  reported  Overture  No.  3,  being  a  collection  of 
petitions  and  memorials  upon  the  subject  of  slavery.  The 
committee  recommended  that  the  petitions  from  Chillicothe 
and  Donegal  Presbyteries  be  read  before  the  Assembly,  and 
that  a  special  committee  of  seven  be  appointed,  to  which 
all  papers  on  the  whole  subject  be  referred.  This  was 
done.  The  petitions  were  read,  and  a  committee  appointed, 
consisting  of  Messrs.  Rice,  Lord,  McGill,  N.  H.  Hall,  Lacy, 
Leavitt,  and  Dunlap. 

This  committee,  on  the  fifth  day  of  the  sessions,  made  a 
report,  which  gave  rise  to  considerable  discussion,  and 
which  was  adopted  by  the  very  decisive  vote  of  168  yeas 
to  13  nays,  and  three  non  liquet. 

This  deliverance  of  the  General  Assembly*  has  been, 
perhaps,  more  misunderstood  and  misrepresented  by  the 
churches  and  parties  holding  to  extreme  abolition  views 
than  any  other  act  of  our  chief  judicatory.  But  it  is  thought 
that  a  candid  perusal  of  that  able  paper  will  show  that, 

*  See  Minutes,  1845,  pp.  16,  17,  18  ;  also  Baird's  Digest,  p.  811. 


ORDINATION  OF  MR.  KNOX.  475 

whilst  the  Assembly  refused  to  take  steps  in  advance  of  the 
authority  of  Scripture,  and  to  adopt  measures  divisive  of  the 
church  and  the  country,  there  is  no  approval  of  the  evils  of 
domestic  slavery,  and  no  withdrawal  or  denial  of  the  pre- 
vious testimony  of  the  church  upon  that  subject.  So,  indeed, 
the  Assembly  of  the  following  year  explicitly  declared.* 

After  the  Assembly  dissolved,  Dr.  Junkin  returned  to 
his  home  and  to  his  duties  in  the  College,  and  was  not 
much  engaged  in  other  public  affairs  for  some  time,  if  we 
except  the  discussion  already  alluded  to  upon  the  validity 
of  Romish  baptism.  His  communications  upon  this  ques- 
tion were  published  in  the  Presbyterian. 

In  the  church  courts  Dr.  Junkin  was  always  a  welcome 
member,  and,  although  he  did  not  often  speak,  his  counsels 
were  listened  to  with  profound  respect.  He  was  called 
upon  not  unfrequently  to  preach  upon  special  subjects, 
and  to  take  part  in  ordination  and  installation  services. 
On  such  occasions  he  was  always  rich,  instructive,  and 
suggestive.  One  of  them  will  be  remembered  with  interest 
by  the  members  of  the  Presbytery  of  Newton  who  still 
survive.  It  was  the  ordination  of  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Mason 
Knox  (now  Dr.  Knox),  and  his  installation  over  the  church 
of  German  Valley,  New  Jersey.  Dr.  Junkin  delivered  the 
charge  to  the  pastor.  Mr.  Knox  was  the  son  of  the  fellow- 
student  and  beloved  friend  of  Dr.  Junkin,  Dr.  John  Knox, 
of  New  York,  and  the  grandson  of  his  revered  theological 
preceptor,  Dr.  John  M.  Mason.  Dr.  Knox  was  present, 
and  had  preached  the  sermon  upon  the  occasion. 

When  Dr.  Junkin  arose  to  deliver  the  charge,  the  mem- 
ories of  the  past,  and  the  tender  associations  of  three 
generations,  seemed  to  crowd  upon  his  heart ;  and  his  voice 
trembled  with  emotion  as  he  uttered  the  first  sentences  of 
his  address : 

*  Minutes,  1846,  p.  207. 


476  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

"My  dear  young  brother,"  said  he,  "this  day,  with 
gratitude  and  joy  of  heart,  we  behold  another  proof  of  the 
faithfulness  of  a  covenant-keeping  God.  A  hundred  gen- 
erations have  passed  since  He  recorded  the  sweet  promise, 
'  My  Spirit  that  is  upon  thee,  and  my  words  which  I  have 
put  in  thy  mouth,  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  nor 
out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of 
thy  seed's  seed,  saith  the  Lord,  from  henceforth  and  for- 
ever.' 'The  children  of  thy  servants  shall  continue,  and 
their  seed  shall  be  established  before  thee.'  (Isa.  lix.  21  ; 
Ps.  cii.  28.)  A  thousand  proofs  of  its  verity  have  been 
witnessed  in  the  past ;  and  we  this  day  see  another  added 
to  the  already  long  list.  Here  stands  the  son,  the  grand- 
son, the  great-grandson*  of  those  whom  God  enabled  to 
be  faithful  to  their  covenant  engagements  that  they  might 
become  the  living  and  honored  witnesses  of  his  own  cove- 
nant faithfulness.  The  son  of  my  early  friend,  the  com- 
panion of  my  youth,  with  whom,  oh,  how  often !  I  have 
taken  sweet  counsel,  and  gone  to  the  house  of  God,  stands 
before  me.  The  grandson  of  my  venerated,  almost  adored, 
theological  teacher  stands  forth  this  day  appointed  and 
commissioned,  by  the  authority  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  preach 
the  glorious  Gospel  of  the  blessed  God.  And  by  the  same 
authority,  it  has  become  my  duty  to  address  to  this  son  of 
a  godly,  a  ministerial  ancestry,  the  word  of  solemn  ex- 
hortation. Can  it  be  otherwise,  then,  but  that  my  mind 
should  teem  with  visions  of  the  past  ?  How  can  I  exclude 
from  my  thoughts  the  image  of  the  venerated  dead  ?  Can 
thirty  years  break  down  the  laws  of  association,  and  erase 
the  deepest  impressions  of  the  memory?  Can  time  anni- 
hilate the  strong  and  tender  bonds  of  Christian  love  ? 

"But,  if  possible,  would  it  be  expedient?  If  I  could 
command  away  these  memories, — what  the  profit  ?  May 
not  their  entertainment  and  presentation  to  you,  sir,  and 
to  this  auditory,  be  the  very  best  accomplishment  of  my 
present  function?  Paul  enjoins,  'Be  ye  followers  of  me, 
even  as  I  also  am  of  Christ.'  And  we  may  learn  many 
useful  lessons  from  the  example  of  those  who  have  gone 
before  us,  even  when  they  were  not  infallible. 


*  The  father  of  Dr.  John  M.  Mason  was  Dr.  John  Mason,  an  eminent 
minister  of  Christ. 


CHARGE    TO   MR.  KNOX. 


477 


"Now,  among  all  the  dead,  and  all  the  living,  of  whom 
I  have  obtained  knowledge,  personally  or  by  reading,  none 
comes  so  near  my  beau  ideal  of  the  great  Apostle  to 
the  Gentiles  as  John  M.  Mason,  of  New  York ;  unless  it 
be  John  Calvin,  of  Geneva,  whom  the  former  used  to 
denominate  the  Paul  of  the  Reformation.  For  mere 
physical  properties, — for  all  that  is  addressed  to  the  eye 
and  to  the  ear, — for  dignity  of  mien,  for  impressive  influ- 
ence of  presence  and  of  manner,  for  loftiness  of  style  and 
tone,  for  the  thunder-storm  of  eloquence,  deep,  awful,  and 
resistless,  the  American  excelled  both  the  European  and 
the  Asiatic  ;  for  both  these  labored  under  physical  disad- 
vantages which  never  impaired  the  power  nor  impeded  the 
progress  of  the  other." 

This  introduction  to  the  charge  is  quoted  for  the  double 
purpose  of  giving  the  reader  some  insight  of  the  author's 
heart,  and  as  a  specimen  of  the  ardor  of  his  manner  upon 
interesting  occasions. 

The  whole  address  is  richly  instructive  in  the  varied 
duties  of  the  pastoral  office,  abounding  both  in  the  phi- 
losophy and  the  scriptural  lessons  of  the  subject,  and  in 
practical  illustrations  drawn  from  the  example  of  Dr.  Mason 
and  other  eminent  ministers. 

Ten  years  before  this,  he  had  thrilled  a  vast  congrega- 
tion of  the  same  Presbytery  by  a  charge  given,  upon  a 
similar  occasion,  to  his  own  brother,  when  ordained  pastor 
of  the  First  Church  of  Greenwich,  New  Jersey. 

The  population  of  Easton  was  increasing  during  these 
years,  and  many  persons  in  the  place,  and  others  in  the 
Presbytery,  within  whose  bounds  it  then  was,  were  of 
opinion  that  Presbyterianism  ought  to  enlarge  its  borders 
in  that  town.  The  First  Presbyterian  Church,  then  under 
the  pastoral  care  of  the  late  Rev.  John  Gray,  D.D.,  was  full 
to  overflowing.  The  edifice  had  been  enlarged  several  times, 
but  still  many  who  desired  it  could  not  obtain  seats. 

With  a  view  to  meet  the  demand  for  increased  means  of 
grace,  Dr.  Junkin  commenced  a  series  of  lectures  on  ex- 


478  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

perimental  piety  in  a  Baptist  church  located  in  a  part  of 
the  town  remote  from  the  Presbyterian  church.  This  ex- 
ercise was  held  in  the  afternoon  of  the  Sabbath,  so  as  not 
to  interfere  with  the  worship  in  the  other  churches,  whose 
services  were  conducted  morning  and  night.  Before  en- 
gaging in  this  work,  he  had  made  a  request,  in  writing, 
addressed  to  the  Session  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  for 
their  consent  to  the  undertaking  and  co-operation  in  it. 

The  Session  gave  consent  to  his  preaching,  but  in  such 
terms  as  indicated  that  the  proposal  was  distasteful  to  them. 
The  lectures  were  commenced,  were  well  attended,  and 
were  maintained  so  long  as  Dr.  Junkin  remained  in  Easton. 
Many  were  edified,  some  were  converted  to  God,  and  the 
result  was  what  Dr.  Junkin  had  frankly  informed  the  Ses- 
sion was  the  intention  at  the  time  he  asked  permission  to 
begin  the  service, — a  movement  for  the  organization  of  a 
second  Presbyterian  church.  Notice  of  their  purpose  to 
apply  to  the  Presbytery  for  an  organization  was  duly  given 
to  the  authorities  of  the  First  Church  by  those  who  favored 
the  enterprise,  and  in  process  of  time  the  application  was 
made. 

To  the  surprise  of  many,  the  movement  was  strenuously 
resisted  by  the  Session  of  the  First  Church,  and  by  some 
of  its  prominent  members  who  were  not  in  official  station  ; 
whilst  others  of  that  congregation  favored  the  movement. 
After  a  very  full  investigation  of  the  whole  matter,  the 
Presbytery  resolved,  with  a  great  degree  of  unanimity,  to 
grant  the  request  of  the  applicants ;  and  a  committee  was 
accordingly  appointed  to  carry  the  order  of  Presbytery 
into  effect.  Shortly  afterwards  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  was  duly  organized,  and  went  into  operation. 
Dr.  Junkin,  and  other  members  of  the  Presbytery,  con- 
tinued to  supply  the  new  church  until  it  obtained  a 
pastor. 

But  this  result  was   not  reached  without  a  most  unex- 


SECOND    CHURCH,  EASTON.  479 

pected  amount  of  opposition,  and  a  warm  conflict  ir^the 
Presbytery.  This  could  not  have  been  foreseen,  for  the 
necessity  for  church  extension  in  that  place  was  almost 
universally  admitted.  The  animus  of  the  opposition  it  is 
not  easy  to  conceive,  but  it  was  powerful,  persistent,  and 
lasted  three  years  beyond  the  period  at  which  Dr.  Junkin 
was  translated  to  Virginia.  The  Rev.  Dr.  John  Skinner 
was  the  pastor  of  the  church  during  this  time.  At  last, 
after  a  struggle  of  four  years  or  more  against  the  difficulties 
in  its  way,  the  church  applied  to  Presbytery  to  dissolve 
its  organization,  assigning  as  the  reason  the  opposition 
above  alluded  to.  Accordingly,  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Presbytery  in  April,  185 1,  the  church  was  dissolved. 
Most  of  the  material  of  which  it  was  composed  sought  and 
obtained  organization  as  a  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch 
Church,  which  is  still  in  existence, — a  highly  respectable 
congregation. 

Into  the  merits  of  the  controversy  concerning  the  subject 
of  a  second  church  in  Easton,  it  is  not  the  intention 
of  the  biographer  to  enter,  and  it  is  mentioned  chiefly 
because  of  the  influence  it  had  in  ultimately  leading  Dr. 
Junkin  to  yield  to  a  call  to  another  field  of  labor.  It  is 
probable,  that  if  he  could  have  anticipated  the  nature  and 
intensity  of  the  opposition  to  a  second  church  he  would 
have  refused,  from  prudential  considerations,  to  join  in 
the  movement.  But  that  opposition  did  not  fully  develop 
itself  until  he  was  so  far  committed  to  the  movement  that 
he  could  not  recede  with  honor  and  a  good  conscience. 
He  was  profoundly  convinced  that  the  welfare  of  souls  and 
the  glory  of  Christ  demanded  the  enterprise.  And  whilst 
some  may  doubt  the  wisdom  of  his  participation  in  the 
movement  after  he  found  that  the  authorities  of  the  First 
Church  were  against  it,  especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
this  opposition  included  Trustees  of  the  College,  who  had 
hitherto  exerted  a  controlling  influence  in  the  Board  ;  yet 


480  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

none  who  knew  the  man  will  for  a  moment  doubt  the  purity 
and  disinterestedness  of  his  motives. 

The  personnel  of  this  opposition,  with  the  exception  of 
the  pastor  of  the  First  Church,  was  identical  with  that 
which,  in  1840,  had  wrought  annoy,  and,  including  him, 
was  identical  with  the  agency  which  had  removed  Dr. 
Yeomans  from  the  College.  As  might  have  been  appre- 
hended, at  the  first  opportunity  the  bad  feeling  which  had 
been  excited  showed  itself,  in  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
College,  to  the  embarrassment  of  the  President  and  the 
Faculty  in  the  administration  of  its  affairs.  A  rule,  which 
had  been  adopted  in  1840  by  the  Board,  to  cover  the  case 
of  discipline  already  mentioned,  and  which  Dr.  Junkin 
was  assured  was  abrogated  before  he  was  recalled  to  the 
Presidency,  was  revived.  This  was  a  rule  granting  to  a 
student  an  appeal  to  the  Board  of  Trustees  against  the 
decisions  of  the  Faculty  in  certain  cases:  which  would 
give  to  the  portion  of  the  Board  living  near  to  the  College 
practical  control  over  its  discipline, — a  result  inevitably 
destructive  of  the  paternal  authority  of  a  faculty  and  of 
the  discipline  of  a  college.  This  and  other  matters  gave 
opportunity  for  the  inauguration  of  one  of  those  struggles, 
alas  !  too  common  in  the  history  of  American  colleges, 
which  marred  the  comfort  and  usefulness  of  the  President 
and  the  Faculty  of  the  College. 

The  details  of  it  would  have  little  interest  for  the  general 
reader ;  and,  as  all  the  men  prominent  in  these  scenes  have 
gone  to  their  final  account,  we  dismiss  the  subject  with 
only  the  mention  which  is  necessary  to  vindicate  the 
memory  of  the  chief  sufferer.  This  can  be  done  by  a 
statement  oi  general  facts,  which  all  persons  familiar  with 
the  constitution  and  workings  of  Boards  of  Trustees  of 
colleges  will  understand.  1.  A  portion  of  the  members 
of  the  Board  lived  in  Easton,  and  they,  of  course,  would 
feel  a  lively  interest  in  the  College,  and  would   be  apt 


TROUBLES  IN   THE    COLLEGE.  481 

to  have  their  feelings  interested  in  case  of  any  trouble. 
2.  Of  these  a  small  majority,  and  they  active  and  influen- 
tial men,  took  part  against  the  President  and  against  the 
Faculty,  who,  with  one  exception,  were  with  him.  3.  When 
the  distant  members  of  the  Board,  who  were  unaffected  by 
local  interests  and  feelings,  were  present,  the  majority  was 
the  other  way,  and  the  course  of  the  President  was  sus- 
tained. 4.  But  it  was  difficult,  except  at  the  Annual  Meet- 
ings, to  obtain  a  full  attendance,  so  that  local  details  fell 
under  the  control  of  those  resident  in  Easton.  5.  The 
great  mass  of  the  citizens  of  Easton,  outside  of  a  single 
church,  and  many  within  it  also,  were  with  the  President 
and  the  Faculty  in  judgment  and  feeling.  6.  The  students 
also,  with  a  single  exception,  adhered  loyally  to  their 
President.  7.  His  brethren  of  the  Presbytery,  with  two 
or  three  exceptions,  approved  of  his  course.  8.  At  the  time 
he  ultimately  left,  the  College  was  in  a  highly  prosperous 
condition,  so  far  as  numbers  and  morale  were  concerned ; 
the  classes  being  larger  than  usual,  and  the  last  class  that 
graduated  under  his  administration  being  the  largest  that 
had  ever  left  the  Institution  ;  and  immediately  after  his 
departure,  the  attendance  of  students  was  reduced  to  a  mere 
handful. 

It  might  excite  surprise,  that  in  such  a  condition  of  things, 
a  man  of  Dr.  Junkin's  vigor  and  firmness  would  become 
in  any  degree  discouraged.  But  the  men  who  had  grown 
lukewarm  or  hostile,  although  few  in  numbers,  had  been 
among  the  most  demonstrative  friends  of  the  College,  were 
persons  of  social  position,  controlled  some  wealth,  pos- 
sessed much  adroitness  and  pertinacity,  and  held  on  to 
their  places,  and  the  College  was  like  a  house  divided 
against  itself. 

Still,  though  perplexed,  the  President  was  not  cast  down, 
but  continued  to  labor  for  the  welfare  of  his  favorite  Insti- 
tution. 

4i 


482  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

On  the  ioth  of  June,  1847,  an  event  occurred  which 
threw  a  deep  gloom  over  the  College  and  the  community, 
and  deeply  moved  Dr.  Junkin's  tenderest  sensibilities. 

The  only  son  of  his  beloved  friend  and  fellow-student, 
Dr.  Robert  Steel,  of  Abington,  was  in  attendance  as  a 
student  in  the  College,  in  his  second  college  year.  He 
was  a  youth  of  much  promise,  peculiarly  correct,  kind,  and 
courteous,  and  much  beloved  by  his  teachers  and  fellow- 
students.  On  the  day  above  mentioned  he  had  gone  into 
the  Delaware  to  bathe,  and  was  drowned.  So  soon  as  the 
tidings  of  the  sad  event  reached  the  President's  ears,  he 
hastened  to  the  river,  and,  with  characteristic  energy, 
made  every  exertion  for  the  recovery  of  the  body.  His 
heart  was  deeply  affected,  and  when  others,  after  nightfall, 
abandoned  the  search  as  useless,  he,  with  some  of  the 
students,  continued  it;  nor  did  he  relax  his  diligence  until 
all  that  remained  of  his  beloved  pupil  was  restored  to  the 
anguished  hearts  of  the  stricken  parents. 

In  the  summer  of  1848  the  Trustees  of  Washington 
College,  at  Lexington,  Virginia,  elected  Dr.  Junkin  to  the 
Presidency  of  that  Institution,  to  fill  the  vacancy  occa- 
sioned by  the  resignation  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Ruffner,  D.D. 

Washington  College  had  grown  out  of  a  Classical  School 
or  Academy  founded  by  the  Rev.  William  Graham,  assisted 
and  encouraged  by  other  Presbyterian  ministers  and  the 
people  of  their  charges. 

That  part  of  Virginia  (the  Valley)  had  been  settled 
chiefly  by  Scotch,  or,  rather,  Scotch-Irish,  people,  who 
adhered  to  the  Presbyterian  faith  and  forms. 

Mr.  Graham  was  the  boy,  mentioned  in  a  previous  chap- 
ter, who  was  a  fellow-refugee  with  Dr.  Junkin's  father,  in 
the  block-house,  on  the  banks  of  the  Paxtunk.  He  was  a 
man  of  devout  piety,  considerable  learning,  and  an  earnest 
worker.  As  the  School  began  to  flourish  about  the  time 
of  the  commencement  of  the  struggle  which  resulted  in  the 


HISTORY  OF    WASHINGTON  COLLEGE.         483 

independence  of  America,  it  was  called  "Liberty  Hall." 
It  was  eminently  useful  in  training  men  for  the  ministry, 
and  for  other  professions,  and  was  justly  beloved  by  the 
people  of  that  part  of  Virginia. 

During  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  the  prince  of  patriots, 
George  Washington,  himself  an  Episcopalian,  had  seen 
men  and  their  patriotism  tried  in  the  crucible  of  war ;  and 
he  had  found  that  the  cause  of  his  country  had  no  more 
reliable  friends  than  the  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  of 
"West  Augusta."  When,  therefore,  the  Legislature  of 
Virginia  had  made  repeated  efforts  to  induce  him  to  accept 
some  pecuniary  expression  of  their  love  and  veneration,  he 
persisted  in  refusing,  until  at  last  he  consented  to  give 
direction  to  the  bestowment  of  a  gift  of  stock  in  the  James 
River  Canal,  but  not  to  receive  it  himself.  The  Legislature 
consented,  and  Washington  directed  that  the  gift  should 
be  bestowed  upon  "Liberty  Hall,"  near  Lexington. 

This  was  done,  and,  the  stock  having  been  commuted, 
the  chief  part  of  the  endowment  of  the  Hall  was  derived 
from  this  source.  The  Trustees  accepted  the  benefaction, 
obtained  a  college  charter,  changed  the  name  to  Wash- 
ington College,  and  inaugurated  a  Faculty.  Funds  from 
other  quarters  were  received,  a  beautiful  site  was  selected, 
handsome  buildings  were  erected,  and  the  Institution  has 
been  a  source  of  great  benefit  to  Virginia  and  the  country, 
numbering  among  its  Alumni  some  of  our  most  eminent 
men. 

Dr.  Junkin  made  a  visit  to  Lexington  to  examine  for 
himself  the  character  and  prospects  of  this  new  field. 
After  his  return,  and  under  the  urgency  of  his  brother  and 
other  friends,  he  came  slowly  and  reluctantly  to  the  con- 
viction, that  the  hand  of  God  was  again  beckoning  him  away 
from  his  "  Lovely  Lafayette."  The  College,  to  which  he 
was  called  had  what  was  then  deemed  a  respectable  endow- 
ment.    A  majority  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  were  Presby- 


484  LIFE    0F  DR-   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

terians,  and  in  full  accord  with  his  own  views.  It  was 
surrounded  by  a  homogeneous  population,  and  there  was 
every  prospect  of  a  peaceful  prosecution  of  his  favorite 
work. 

Besides  this,  his  friends,  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jer- 
sey, felt  that  he  had  endured  enough  of  the  toils  and  sacri- 
fices incident  to  the  founding  of  a  college,  and  that  he 
ought  to  accept  of  a  place  where  some  at  least  of  these 
would  not  be  required.  And  it  seemed  to  them,  that  such 
a  man  ought  no  longer  to  be  held  to  a  labor  which  some, 
from  whom  he  had  a  right  to  expect  better  things,  had 
been  endeavoring  to  make  the  task  of  Sisyphus.  He 
accepted  the  appointment. 

There  was  another  consideration,  which  may  have  had 
influence  in  inclining  Dr.  Junkin  to  seek  a  field  of  labor 
in  a  milder  climate.  His  second  son,  Joseph,  had,  for  some 
years,  been  in  imperfect  health.  He  was  a  young  man  of 
fine  scholarship,  a  graduate  of  Lafayette  College.  He  had 
been  laboring  as  a  classical  and  mathematical  teacher  at 
Edge  Hill  School,  Princeton,  N.  J.,  where,  indeed,  he  had 
sustained  the  burden  of  the  Institution,  on  account  of 
the  almost  constant  absence  of  the  principal.  Under  his 
arduous  labors  his  health  declined,  and  pulmonary  disease 
manifested  itself,  and,  before  the  removal  to  Virginia  was 
decided  upon,  it  had  been  determined  that  the  invalid 
should  seek  a  Southern  clime. 

Dr.  Junkin  had  now  been  connected  with  Lafayette  Col- 
lege for  about  thirteen  years.  It  was  sixteen  years  since 
he  first  entered  upon  his  duties,  and  he  had  been  three 
years  and  a  half  at  Miami.  When  he  came,  there  was  not 
a  foot  of  land,  a  stone,  or  a  dollar  belonging  to  the  Insti- 
tution. When  he  left  it,  it  was  in  such  condition  as  to 
promise  that,  if  properly  managed,  it  might  reach  the 
eminence  which  it  has  since  attained.  Perhaps  no  College 
in  the  land  had,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  given  so  large 


LAST  COMMENCEMENT  OF  LAFAYETTE.      485 

a  number  of  scholarly,  valuable  men  to  the  Church  and  to 
the  country.  To  name  but  a  few,  Lafayette  already  num- 
bered among  her  Alumni  such  men  as  the  Rev.  David 
Coulter,  of  Missouri;  Rev.  James  B.  Ramsey,  D.D.,  of 
Virginia;  Rev.  W.  H.  Green,  D.D.,  of  Princeton;  Rev. 
Ninian  Bannatyne,  of  Washington ;  Hon.  William  A. 
Porter,  of  Philadelphia;  Rev.  John  M.  Lowrie,  D.D.,  of 
Fort  Wayne;  Rev.  Wm.  D.  Howard,  D.D.,  of  Pittsburg; 
Rev.  Thomas  C.  Porter,  D.D.,  of  Easton  ;  Rev.  Charles 
Elliott,  D.D.,  of  Chicago  Seminary;  Rev.  Isadore  Loewen- 
thal,  the  erudite  and  gifted  Israelite,  who  gave  the  Bible  in 
their  own  language  to  the  people  of  Afghanistan;  Rev.  Robert 
Watts,  D.D.,  of  Belfast,  and  others  worthy  to  be  named  in 
such  a  catalogue.  Besides  these,  many  other  eminent  men 
obtained  part  of  their  education  and  mental  development, 
under  Dr.  Junkin  and  Dr.  Yeomans,  in  this  Institution. 

The  last  Commencement  of  Lafayette  College,  at  which 
Dr.  Junkin  presided,  was  a  day  memorable  in  his  history 
and  that  of  the  Institution.  Not  having,  as  on  former 
occasions,  the  use  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  the  Com- 
mencement exercises  were  held  in  the  spacious  assembly- 
room  of  the  Odd-Fellows'  Hall.  A  large  audience  was 
present, — many  from  a  distance.  The  Board  of  Trustees 
was  more  full  than  usual,  although  that  part  of  the  local 
Board,  which  had  not  been  in  accord  with  the  Faculty, 
did  not  appear  until  near  the  close  of  the  public  exercises. 
When  the  President  of  the  Board  came  in,  and  made  an 
announcement  in  regard  to  the  opening  of  the  next  College 
term,  he  was  received  with  a  very  general  and  decided  de- 
monstration of  disapprobation  by  the  audience  and  by  the 
students,  which  was  very  improper,  and  which  none  de- 
plored more  than  Dr.  Junkin  himself.  But  it  was  a  sponta- 
neous outburst  of  pent-up  feeling,  which  he  could  not  have 
anticipated,  and  could  not  instantly  repress,  although  he 
immediately  made  the  attempt. 

41* 


486  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE   JUNKIN. 

When  the  exercises  closed,  and  the  parting  moment  had 
come,  the  members  of  the  Senior  class  approached  their 
beloved  President  to  bid  him  a  final  farewell.  They  could 
not  speak, — tears  rolled  down  those  manly,  youthful  cheeks. 
They  grasped  his  hand,  one  after  another,  in  silent  adieu. 
The  undergraduates  pressed  forward  and  did  the  same,  until 
every  student  present,  numbering  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty,  had  taken  his  hand  and  bade  a  silent,  tearful  fare- 
well. It  was  a  spontaneous  movement,  without  preconcert 
or  arrangement.  The  young  men  wept,  the  President 
wept,  the  audience  was  in  tears,  whilst  no  sound  was  heard 
except  the  quiet  tread  of  those  noble  young  men  as  they 
advanced  to  the  dais,  pressed  their  President's  hand,  and 
retired. 

The  writer  of  this  page  was  present  at  that  scene,  of 
course  not  an  unmoved  spectator.  Beside  him,  on  the 
stage,  sat  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  M.  Krebs,  of  New  York. 
This  eminent  minister  was  deeply  moved  by  what  he  saw, 
and  exclaimed,  in  a  voice  choked  with  emotion,  "This 
is  the  proudest  day  in  George  Junkin's  history  !  The  tears 
and  silent  eloquence  of  these  young  men  present  a  vindi- 
cation and  a  eulogy  that  need  no  addition  !" 

Another  eye-witness  of  this  impressive  scene,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  J.  H.  Mason  Knox,  thus  alludes  to  it  in  his  eloquent 
memorial  discourse,  delivered  shortly  after  Dr.  Junkin's 
death  : 

"  It  was  no  small  trial  for  Dr.  Junkin  a  second  time  to 
give  up  the  care  of  an  institution  in  which  he  had  spent  so 
many  of  the  best  years  of  his  life,  for  which  he  had  toiled 
assiduously  and  sacrificed  so  much,  and  in  which,  moreover, 
he  had  been  so  eminently  successful  as  an  educator,  and 
had  established  his  fame  in  this  regard  in  all  the  land.  The 
parting  was  a  most  thrilling  scene.  I  can  see  him  now  as 
he  stood  upon  the  Commencement-stage,  in  September, 
1848,  and  apostrophized  'Lovely  Lafayette,'  bidding  her, 
in  any  time  of  need,  to  'send  down  the  Valley  for  her 
friend,  whose  devotion  to  her  interests  could  never-  grow 


FAREWELL    SCENES.  487 

less  until  his  heart  should  cease  to  beat.'  The  students 
rushed  from  their  seats  to  his  side,  and  each  young  man, 
as  he  bade  his  honored,  beloved  President  farewell,  was 
bathed  in  tears ;  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Krebs  gave  utterance  to 
the  feeling,  which  was  welling  up  in  every  heart,  in  the 
exclamation,  'George  Junkin,  this  is  the  most  glorious 
day  of  your  life  !' 

"  It  may  not  be  amiss,"  Dr.  Knox  continues,  "to  say 
further,  that  Lafayette  did  not  recover  for  many  years  from 
the  staggering  blow  she  received  from  this  second  resig- 
nation of  her  Father  and  Founder, — not,  indeed,  till  the 
name  of  George  Junkin  again  appeared  in  her  list  of 
instructors." 

Whilst  this  last  remark  of  Dr.  Knox  is  literally  true,  it 
is  not  claimed  that  the  revival  of  the  College  was  promoted 
so  much  by  Dr.  Junkin' s  direct  agency,  as  by  the  fact,  that 
its  authorities  and  its  very  efficient  President,  Dr.  Cattell, 
were  known  to  be  in  accord  with  him ;  and  that  his  faith, 
prayers,  and  known  zeal  for  it  may  have  aided  to  secure 
public  confidence  and  the  blessing  of  God.  His  professor- 
ship was  Emeritus  in  the  department  of  Political  Economy. 
We  shall  see  that  after  his  return  from  Virginia  he  took  a 
lively  interest  in  Lafayette. 

Alluding  to  the  above  scene,  Dr.  Sprague  says,  in  his 
biographical  sketch  in  The  Memorial  Volume : 

"  His  parting  with  his  classes  at  Lafayette,  on  Commence- 
ment-day, was  a  scene  of  the  most  tender  interest ;  and 
the  estimation  in  which  he  was  there  held  was  sufficiently 
indicated  by  the  fact  that  twenty-six  of  those  who  had  been 
his  students  there,  appeared  at  Washington  College  to 
resume  their  studies  under  his  direction."* 

These  were  chiefly  of  the  higher  undergraduate  classes, 
and  among  them  were  such  men  as  Robert  Watts,  D.D., 
the  successor  of  Dr.  Cooke  in  the  Chair  of  Theology  in  Bel- 
fast; Rev.  R.  M.  Wallace,  of  Altoona;  Rev.  A.  W.  Sproull, 

*  Memorial,  p.  145. 


488  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

of  Chester,  Pa.;  Rev.  John  Armstrong,  of  Iowa;  Rev. 
A.  M.  Lowry,  of  Port  Carbon;  Rev.  E.  D.  Finney,  of 
Maryland,  and  others. 

When  it  is  remembered  that,  at  that  time,  Lexington 
could  only  be  reached  by  one  hundred  and  twelve  miles 
of  staging  from  Winchester,  the  estimate  of  his  instructions 
formed  by  these  young  men  will  seem  enhanced. 

A  few  days  before  his  departure  from  Easton,  the  follow- 
ing paper  was  presented  to  him,  expressive  of  the  sentiments 
of  the  citizens : 

"At  a  numerous  meeting  of  citizens  of  Easton  and 
its  vicinity,  assembled  at  the  Odd-Fellows'  Hall,  in  pursu- 
ance of  public  notice ;  on  motion  of  Mr.  John  J.  Burke, 
Hon.  John  Cooper,  M.D.,  was  called  to  the  chair,  and  Dr. 
Charles  Innes  appointed  secretary. 

"  The  object  of  the  meeting  being  stated,  the  Rev.  John 
Vanderveer  moved  that  a  committee  of  seven  be  appointed 
to  draft  resolutions,  whereupon  Messrs.  T.  M.  Cann,  John 
J.  Burke,  Daniel  Lachenaur,  M.D.,  R.  S.  Chidsey,  John 
Eyerman,  George  Field,  and  Philip  Mixell  were  chosen. 

"The  committee  retired,  and,  after  a  short  deliberation, 
submitted  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions,  which 
were  unanimously  adopted  : 

"  '  Whereas,  The  Rev.  George  Junkin,  D.D.,  the  founder 
and  firm  supporter  of  Lafayette  College,  has  resigned  the 
Presidency  of  the  same ;  a  station,  the  duties  of  which,  in 
the  language  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  announcing  the  fact, 
"he  has  ably  performed  for  sixteen  years,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  short  absence;"  and 

"  '  Whereas,  During  all  this  period,  he  has  most  ably  and 
zealously  advocated,  and  sustained  in  our  midst,  the  inter- 
ests of  education,  morality,  and  religion  ;  therefore, 

"  'Resolved,  That  we  receive  with  deep  and  heartfelt 
regret  the  announcement  of  his  removal  from  a  sphere  in 
which  he  has  been  so  pre-eminently  useful,  and  that  we 
regard  his  departure  as  the  withdrawal  of  one  of  our  purest 
and  brightest  luminaries. 

"  'Resolved,  That,  though  we  recognize  the  fact  that  the 
labors  of  the  Christian  philosopher,  wherever  put  forth, 
enure  to  the  benefit  of  the  world  in  general,  yet  we  cannot 


RESOLUTIONS   ON  PARTING.  489 

but  lament  the  departure  of  one  who  has  been,  and  is  still, 
so  deeply  cherished  by  those  with  whom  he  trod  the  classic 
ground,  and  who  is  beloved,  by  every  true  philanthropist, 
for  his  unwavering  integrity,  his  fearless  and  indefatigable 
efforts  for  the  promotion  of  truth;  and  we  feel  assured 
that  the  community,  which  has  secured  his  services,  has 
obtained  a  most  valuable  acquisition. 

"  ' Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  meeting,  together 
with  a  copy  of  these  resolutions,  be  given  to  the  Rev. 
George  Junkin,  D.D.,  for  his  eminent  services,  and  that 
these  proceedings  be  published  in  the  papers  of  our  Borough, 
The  Presbyterian,  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  Watchman  of 
the  South.' 

"John  Cooper,  Chairman, 

"  Charles  Innes,  Secretary." 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

Award  in  Dr.  Junkin's  Favor — Departure  for  Virginia — -Farewell — Wash- 
ington College — Enters  on  Duty — Inaugural  Address — No  Change  in  his 
Instructions — Faculty — Route — The  Invalid  goes  South — Dies — His 
Character — Dr.  Junkin's  Preachings —  Bensalem  —  Baccalaureates  —  In- 
fluence on  General  Education — Family  Statistics — Major  Jackson — ■ 
Heavy  Afflictions — Mrs.  Junkin's  Death — Her  Character — Consolation 
— Mrs.  Jackson's  Death — Prof.  Fishburn's  Death — The  elder  Daughter 
married — The  colored  Boy  taken — Blessed  are  they  that  mourn — Educa- 
tional Correspondence — Fraternal  Fellowship — New  Brunswick  Speech 
— LL.D. — Temperance  Labors  in  Virginia — Agricultural — Public  Trou- 
bles— Labors  and  Sacrifices  for  Peace  and  Union — John  Brown  Raid — 
Resistance  to  Secession — Letter  to  Governor  Curtin — Letter  of  Eli  K. 
Price — Correspondence  on  Public  Affairs — Virginia  Secedes — The  Flags 
raised,  taken  down,  burned — Commotion  in  the  College — Resigns — Exo- 
dus from  Virginia. 

SOME  delay  in  his  departure  for  the  future  scene  of  his 
labors  was  occasioned,  by  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  a 
settlement  of  Dr.  Junkin's  claims  upon  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  the  College.  A  disposition  to  deny  those  claims, 
in  part,  was  shown  by  two  or  three,  but  at  last  a  Rule  of 
reference  was  obtained  by  him,  and  the  choice  of  the  arbi- 
trators left  to  the  Board  itself  or  its  representatives  ;  and 
there  was  awarded  to  him,  after  a  thorough  investigation 
of  the  accounts,  a  little  more  than  he  had  claimed.  This 
matter  adjusted,  he  and  his  household  took  another  affec- 
tionate leave  of  their  numerous  friends  in  Easton,  and  set 
forth  for  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  to  make  another  home 
among  strangers,  and  to  enter  upon  a  new  field  of  labor. 

Washington  College,  Virginia,  although  a  well-appointed 
institution,  and  usually  manned  by  an  able  Faculty,  had 
never  attracted  to  its  halls  the  numbers  which  its  reputation 
(49°) 


PRESIDENT  OF   WASHINGTON  COLLEGE. 


49  * 


and  appliances  for  education  merited.  It  was  difficult 
to  account  for  the  fact ;  yet  some  reasons  were  palpable. 
The  University  of  Virginia,  located  at  Charlottesville, 
just  over  the  Blue  Ridge  from  Lexington,  was  the  favorite 
resort  of  the  sons  of  that  ancient  Commonwealth.  The 
optional  character  of  its  curriculum  —  i.e.  the  plan  of 
allowing  the  student  or  his  parent  to  select  which  of 
the  studies,  taught  in  the  institution,  he  would  pursue — 
had  peculiar  attractions  for  some.  Hampden  Sidney  Col- 
lege also  divided  the  Presbyterian  patronage  of  Virginia. 
The  Virginia  Military  Institute,  in  the  same  town  with 
Washington  College,  was  also  a  rival,  and  had  attractions 
for  youth  in  its  military  appointments,  and,  being  sustained 
in  part  by  State  bounty,  was  less  expensive ;  whilst  many 
of  the  sons  of  Virginia  still  resorted  to  the  older  colleges 
of  the  North  and  East. 

Dr.  Junkin  did  not  find  so  much  difficulty  in  inaugu- 
rating suitable  discipline  in  Washington  College  as  he  had 
at  Miami  University.  The  morale  of  the  institution  was 
better ;  and  he  had  comparatively  little  change  to  make  in 
the  regime  of  the  institution. 

He  entered  upon  his  duties  as  President  of  Washington 
College  in  October,  1848,  but  was  not  formally  inaugu- 
rated until  the  next  Commencement,  the  latter  part  of  June, 
1849,  when  he  delivered  his  inaugural  address.  He  was 
not  long  in  identifying  himself  with  the  new  community  in 
which  his  lot  had  been  cast,  and  with  the  interests  of  the 
grand  old  Commonwealth  of  which  he  had  become  a  citi- 
zen, so  far,  at  least,  as  its  real  advantage  was  concerned. 
Whilst  he  had  in  the  North  resisted  aggressive  abolition  as 
tending  to  break  up  the  peace  of  the  country,  divide  the 
Union,  and  deluge  the  land  in  blood,  he  never  was  of 
opinion  that  slavery  was  a  normal  condition  of  society,  or 
of  any  advantage  to  the  moral  or  material  interests  of  the 
country  in  which  it  exists.     Whilst  he  was  not  willing,  as 


492  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

we  have  seen,  to  adopt  the  principle  that  in  every  case  the 
holding  of  a  slave  is  a  sin  per  se,  and  whilst  he  resisted 
with  all  his  power  the  proposal  to  excommunicate  from  the 
church  men  who  gave  evidence  of  piety,  though  they  held 
servants  in  bondage,  he  never  held  that  slavery  was  a 
blessing,  but  rather  a  curse.  His  residence  in  a  slave 
State  did  not  abate  this  conviction.  He  considered  it 
a  great  evil  in  its  moral,  religious,  and  economical  aspects. 
As  a  system  of  labor,  he  saw  that  it  paralyzed  the  im- 
pulses of  industry,  and  retarded  improvement.  He  looked 
upon  it  as  a  wrong  to  the  servant,  but  as  a  greater  curse  to 
the  master. 

Had  the  field  been  open  for  fair,  calm,  and  instructive 
discussion  of  this  great  social  problem,  it  cannot  be  reason- 
ably doubted  that  Dr.  Junkin  would  have  aimed  to  bring 
the  lights  of  science,  economics,  and  religion  to  bear  upon 
it.  But  the  abolition  excitement  had  rendered  that  field 
a  field  of  fire.  Men's  passions  were  roused,  and  discus- 
sion would  have  placed  the  interests  with  which  he  was 
identified  in  peril,  without  any  reasonable  prospect  of 
countervailing  good. 

True,  he  did  not  change  his  lectures  upon  moral  phi- 
losophy and  political  economy  so  as  to  adapt  them  to  the 
latitude  in  which  he  now  labored  ;  the  manuscript  notes 
of  his  lectures  show,  that  he  did  not  fail  to  teach  the  same 
systems  of  moral  philosophy  and  political  economy  as  for- 
merly ;  but  to  have  assailed  slavery  upon  the  soil  where  it 
existed,  and  in  the  style  of  the  abolitionists,  would  have 
been  to  do  what  he  believed  to  be  wrong,  what  the  ultra 
abolitionists  themselves  never  did,  and  what  would  at  once 
have  banished  him  from  his  field  of  labor.  It  cannot  be 
reasonably  doubted,  by  any  who  knew  Dr.  Junkin  and  the 
breadth  and  thoroughness  of  his  teachings,  that  the  thirteen 
years  of  his  labors  in  Virginia  have  told,  and  will  yet  tell, 
beneficently  upon  the  minds  that  were  brought  under  his 


THE   INVALID    GOES  SOUTH. 


493 


influence ;  and  that  the  principles  which  he  inculcated 
have  had,  and  will  continue  to  have,  in  the  several  commu- 
nities in  which  these  minds  are  found,  a  happy  tendency 
in  the  reorganization  of  Southern  society,  and  adapting 
it  to  the  new  state  of  things  which  has  been  forced 
upon  it. 

At  the  time  Dr.  Junkin  became  President  of  the  College, 
its  Faculty  consisted  of  the  Rev.  Philo  C.  Calhoun,  Profes- 
sor of  Greek,  George  E.  Dabney,  Latin,  Rev.  Dr.  George 
D.  Armstrong,  Natural  Philosophy,  and  Major  D.  H.  Hill, 
afterwards  Major  General  Hill  of  the  Confederate  Army, 
Professor  of  Mathematics. 

The  route  and  the  mode  of  travel  by  which  the  family 
reached  Lexington  illustrate  the  changes  which  have  taken 
place  in  the  country  since  1848.  They  went  by  steamboat 
from  Baltimore  to  Fredericksburg,  by  rail  to  Gordonsville, 
and  thence  in  stage-coaches  to  Lexington. 

A  few  weeks  after  the  family  arrived  at  Lexington  it  be- 
came manifest,  that,  unless  the  efficacy  of  a  milder  climate 
would  produce  a  change,  Joseph,  the  second  son,  whose 
loss  of  health  has  been  already  mentioned,  must  sink  into 
an  early  grave.  It  was  determined  that  he  should  proceed 
to  Florida,  in  the  hope  of  recovering  his  health.  The 
older  son,  John  M.  Junkin,  had  recently  settled  at  Tren- 
ton, New  Jersey,  as  a  physician,  and  it  was  deemed  best 
for  him  to  accompany  his  invalid  brother  to  the  South, 
so  that  every  possible  attention  might  be  secured.  The 
medical  brother  came  on  to  Lexington,  and,  after  a  tender 
parting  from  the  anxious  and  affectionate  home  circle,  the 
two  set  out  upon  that  long  journey  from  which  but  one 
of  them  was  to  return.  In  due  time  they  arrived  at  Mari- 
anna,  Florida,  where  they  obtained  comfortable  quarters 
for  the  winter.  The  tidings  that  reached  the  home  circle  at 
Lexington  from  the  absent  one,  who  was  now  the  object  of 
concentrated  solicitude,  varied  almost  weekly,  sometimes 

42 


494  LIFE    0F  DR-   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

awakening  hope,  and  again  bidding  it  expire.  But  as  the 
months  rolled  on,  the  expectation  of  ever  seeing  his  face  in 
the  flesh  became  feebler;  and  on  the  3d  of  April,  1849, 
this  noble  youth  laid  his  pilgrim  mantle  by,  and  found  a 
grave  in  a  land  of  strangers,  in  the  sands  of  Florida.  He 
died  in  the  twenty-sixth  year  of  his  age.  His  was  a  pecu- 
liarly lovely  character ;  amiable,  discreet,  affectionate,  in- 
telligent, scholarly,  pious.  Although  he  had  been  deterred 
from  making  a  profession  of  religion  by  a  self-distrust, 
superinduced  by  the  very  high  standard  which  he  had 
formed  of  the  requisites  to  a  Christian  profession,  none 
who  knew  him,  much  less  any  who  knew  him  intimately, 
doubted  that  he  was  a  true  Christian. 

The  decease  of  this  lovely  and  beloved  son  and  brother, 
was  a  heavy  stroke  upon  the  family  at  home,  and  it  was  an 
event  which  was  mourned  by  a  very  wide  circle  of  kindred 
and  friends.  But  they  sorrowed  not  as  they  who  have  no 
hope. 

That  part  of  Dr.  Junkin's  life  which  he  spent  in  Vir- 
ginia was  not  marked  by  many  incidents  of  the  kind  to 
impart  interest  to  narrative.  Its  tenor  was  even.  The 
regular  routine  of  college  duties,  and  the  constant  preach- 
ings of  the  gospel,  in  which,  of  course,  he  still  abounded, 
whilst  they  make  up  the  chief  part  of  a  man's  usefulness, 
do  not  furnish  the  staple  of  attractive  biography.  From 
prudential  considerations,  he,  of  course,  made  as  few 
changes  in  the  college  routine  and  curriculum  as  possible, 
but  aimed,  by  an  energetic  practical  administration,  to 
make  the  scholarship  of  the  College  high  and  thorough  ; 
and  in  all  his  efforts  he  had  able  and  effective  assistance 
from  the  other  professors. 

Wherever  he  went  he  must  needs  preach  the  gospel,  and 
he  soon  established  a  regular  religious  service  in  the  Col- 
lege Chapel,  at  such  an  hour  as  not  to  interfere  with  the 
attendance  of  the  students  upon  the  morning  service  of 


BA  CCA  LA  UREA  TES.  495 

the  churches.  Besides  this,  he  soon  took  charge  of  a  small 
congregation  called  Bensalem,  four  miles  from  Lexington, 
which  he  continued  to  serve,  much  to  their  edification,  for 
about  ten  years.  The  people  of  this  little  flock  became 
much  attached  to  him,  and  he  to  them,  and  pleasant  fruits 
of  his  ministry  were  there  gathered.  He  also  preached 
frequently  in  the  church  of  Lexington  and  in  others  in 
the  region  round  about,  far  and  near,  and,  as  in  the 
former  fields  of  his  labors,  was  always  welcomed  to  the 
pulpits  of  his  brethren,  both  by  pastors  and  people. 

He  still  aimed,  in  his  baccalaureate  discourses,  to  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  general  education,  as  connected 
with,  and  dependent  upon,  a  high  standard  of  college 
education.  As  examples,  his  first  baccalaureate  was  "An 
Apology  for  College  Education  ;"  in  which  he  illustrated 
and  enforced  its  bearing  upon  schools  of  every  inferior 
grade.  In  the  next,  he  presented  a  kindred  subject, 
"The  College  Curriculum;"  and,  in  1851,  a  strong  plea 
in  behalf  of  the  proposition,  that  "  The  Colleges  of  Vir- 
ginia have  a  right  to  a  part  of  the  Literary  Fund."  In 
his  next,  he  unfolded  some  of  the  causes  of  the  failure  of 
a  college  course,  in  many  cases,  to  produce  the  desired 
results,  tracing  the  failure,  in  most  instances,  to  the  evil  of 
"premature  entrance,"  which  was  his  theme.  Thus,  from 
year  to  year,  he  produced  a  series  of  educational  papers, 
exceedingly  suggestive  and  valuable  in  themselves,  and  well 
calculated  to  lead  their  readers  and  hearers  to  a  higher  and 
broader  appreciation  of  the  great  work  of  education,  in  its 
philosophy,  its  materia  and  practical  details. 

In  conventions  which  were  held  with  the  object  of  ad- 
vancing the  general  interests  of  education,  he  bore  an  active 
part,  and  was  always  vigilant  and  untiring  in  personal 
efforts  to  that  end.  His  correspondence  shows  that  he 
exerted  an  extensive  influence  with  his  pen,  by  conferring 
with  other  men  in  different  parts  of  the  State  and  of  the 


49  6  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

country,  and  he  neglected  no  opportunity  of  advancing  the 
cause  of  education  and  religion. 

Thus  several  years  of  his  life  were  passed  in  the  quiet 
and  happy  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  position.  The 
society  of  Lexington  was  very  congenial  to  his  tastes  and 
to  those  of  his  family.  It  was  a  highly  intelligent  commu- 
nity, and  the  general  sentiment  was  decidedly  favorable  to 
religion.  The  Presbyterian  Church  was  the  largest  and 
the  most  influential  in  the  place,  and  the  prominent  men 
of  the  community  threw  the  weight  of  their  influence  in 
favor  of  religion  and  good  morals.  Indeed,  many  of 
the  leading  men  were  professing  Christians,  and  some  of 
them  office-bearers  in  the  churches.  That  excellent  min- 
ister, the  Rev.  William  S.  White,  D.D.,  was  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  Lexington,  during  most  of  the  time 
of  Dr.  Junkin's  sojourn  in  that  place,  and  with  him  he 
had  much  pleasant  fraternal  intercourse. 

At  the  time  Dr.  Junkin  removed  to  Lexington,  his  oldest 
son,  John  Miller,  was  located  at  Trenton,  as  a  physician ; 
his  third  son,  and  namesake,  had  just  completed  his  law 
studies  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  where  he  opened  an 
office,  and  has  ever  since  remained  in  successful  practice. 
His  fourth  son,  Ebenezer  Dickey,  having  graduated  at 
Lafayette,  was  engaged  as  a  classical  teacher  in  Fredericks- 
burg, Virginia,  and  his  fifth,  William  Finney,  remained  for 
a  few  months  teaching  in  New  Jersey.  Afterwards,  the 
latter  repaired  to  Lexington,  where  he  took  his  first  degree 
in  the  arts,  in  the  class  which  graduated  at  Washington 
College  in  1851.  In  the  autumn  of  that  same  year,  he 
and  his  brother,  E.  D.  Junkin,  who,  meanwhile,  had  been 
teaching  at  Mount  Holly,  N.  J.,  with  Dr.  Samuel  Miller, 
entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton,  in  which 
they  remained  until  they  graduated  in  1854. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  1853,  the  second  daughter  of  Dr. 
Junkin,  Eleanor,  was  united  in  marriage  to  a  young  man 


DEATH   OF  MRS    J  UN  KIN.  497 

named  Thomas  J.  Jackson,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  a 
professor  in  the  Virginia  Military  Institute.  He  was  a 
graduate  of  West  Point, — had  served  with  some  distinction 
in  the  war  with  Mexico, — had  been  several  times  brevetted 
for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct, — and  had  retired  from 
the  army  with  the  brevet  rank  of  major,  by  which  title  he 
was  usually  addressed.  He  was  an  unobtrusive — almost 
diffident — young  man,  of  good  mind,  exemplary  morals, 
devout  piety,  and  remarkably  conscientious  upon  all  ques- 
tions of  duty.  The  young  people  continued  to  be  mem- 
bers of  Dr.  Junkin's  family  until  the  tender  tie  that  bound 
them  was  sundered  by  the  hand  of  death,  a  little  more 
than  a  year  after  their  marriage. 

But  before  this  sad  event  another  heavy  affliction  fell 
upon  the  stricken  household.  On  the  23d  of  February, 
1854,  the  wife  and  the  mother  "was  not,  for  God  took 
her."  On  the  nth  of  the  next  month  there  appeared  in  the 
Presbyterian,  of  Philadelphia,  an  obituary  notice  from 
the  same  hand  that  traces  these  lines,  and  it  is,  in  part, 
transferred  to  these  pages  as  a  just  tribute  to  the  memory 
of  one  well  known  and  dearly  loved : 

"The  departure  from  this  to  a  higher  life  of  this  gifted 
and  lovely  Christian  woman,  is  an  event  of  its  kind  of  more 
than  ordinary  interest,  and  demands  more  than  a  transient 
notice. 

"'Precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death  of  his 
saints,'  and  it  ought  to  be  precious  in  the  estimation  of  all 
that  love  the  Lord.  Precious,  considered  as  an  accession 
to  the  ranks  of  the  saints  in  glory ;  precious,  as  a  proof  of 
God's  faithfulness  ;  precious,  as  an  illustration  of  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  grace  of  Christ  in  giving  the  victory  over 
pain,  and  fear,  and  death,  and  the  grave;  precious,  as  an 
earnest  of  a  like  triumph  of  all  who  possess  '  like  precious 
faith  ;'  precious,  as  a  means  of  converting  those  who  have 
not  this  faith.  Such  was  the  death  of  Mrs.  Junkin.  She 
lived  a  life  that  was  sure  to  end  in  such  a  death ;  and  no 
believer  can  be  indifferent  to  a  scene  so  demonstrative  of 

42* 


49  8  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

the  power  of  godliness,  so  radiant  with  the  presence  of 
Jesus. ' ' 

After  a  brief  account  of  her  birth,  parentage,  education, 
conversion,  and  marriage,  the  notice  proceeds  : 

"Soon  after  her  marriage,  in  1819,  Mrs.  Junkin  accom- 
panied her  husband  to  the  field  of  labor  to  which  he  had 
been  previously  called  at  Milton,  Pennsylvania.  There 
she  passed  about  eleven  years  of  her  life,  devoted  to  the 
happiness  of  her  family,  the  service  of  her  Lord,  and  the 
interests  of  Zion.  Universally  admired  and  beloved  in 
tha  community,  perhaps  no  lady  ever  withdrew  from  it 
whose  departure  was  more  generally  and  sincerely  lamented  ; 
and  many  hearts,  in  that  first  field  of  her  usefulness,  will 
swell  with  sorrow  when  the  tidings  of  her  death  shall  be 
announced. 

"  After  her  husband  was  summoned  from  pastoral  life  to 
the  field  of  Christian  education,  her  position  made  her 
more  widely  known,  and  wherever  known  her  character 
inspired  the  warmest  regard.  In  her  native  city,  in  Ger- 
mantown,  in  Easton,  at  Oxford,  and  in  the  Valley  of  Vir- 
ginia, in  which  she  ended  her  pilgrimage,  she  was  beloved 
and  venerated  by  all  who  made  her  acquaintance. 

"  Hers  was  a  most  symmetrical  Christian  character.  In 
it  were  blended,  in  finest  harmony,  all  the  elements  most 
desirable  in  a  Christian  lady.  Without  the  splendor  that 
dazzles,  or  the  masculine  vigor  that  annihilates  the  peculi- 
arities of  her  sex,  her  mind  was  above  mediocrity,  and  was 
well  stored  by  wise  and  apposite  reading,  whilst  her  sweet 
and  gentle  temper,  her  unsullied  delicacy,  her  perennial 
Christian  cheerfulness,  her  sincerity,  her  wit  sprightly  but 
never  barbed,  her  affability  and  considerateness,  her  benev- 
olence, her  warm  and  loyal  friendship,  and,  above  all,  her 
delicate  and  steady  reverence  for  the  right,  eminently  fitted 
her  for  the  sphere  of  life  to  which  she  was  called,  and  which 
she  so  happily  adorned. 

"  She  was  indeed  a  '  helpmeet'  for  the  Christian  pastor, 
and  for  the  presiding  officer  of  a  literary  institution  ;  and 
many  a  fond  parishioner,  and  many  a  grateful  student,  will 
cherish  to  their  latest  day  the  remembrance  of  her  coun 
sels  and  her  kindness.  To  her  counsels  and  to  the  gentle 
eloquence  of  her  lovely  Christian  example  did  the  writer 


CHARACTER    OF  MRS.   JUNK  IN.  4gg 

of  these  lines  owe  more,  whilst  a  student,  than  to  any 
other  human  instrumentality.     And  he  is  not  alone. 

"Mrs.  Junkin'swas  a  life  of  unceasing  Christian  industry, 
cheerful,  unostentatious,  yet  effective.  In  her  family,  in 
the  church,  and  in  the  field  of  Christian  education,  her  toils 
and  sacrifices  were  constant,  and  a  goodly  number  of  valu- 
able ministers  owe  their  introduction  to  the  sacred  office  in 
a  greater  or  less  degree  to  her  industry  and  her  means. 

"As  a  daughter,  a  wife,  a  mother,  a  sister,  a  friend,  who 
that  knew  her  needs  to  be  told  what  she  was  ?  Her  life  was 
a  self-denying  yet  happy  '  patient  continuance  in  well 
doing,'  and,  as  might  have  been  expected,  her  end  was 
peace, — more  than  peace, — it  was  triumph. 

"Throughout  a  protracted  and  painful  illness,  every 
Christian  grace,  demanded  in  her  circumstances,  seemed  to 
be  in  lovely,  placid  exercise.  After  conscientiously  acquies- 
cing in  every  effort  of  medical  skill  for  her  relief,  when 
told  by  her  dearest  one  that  'hope  had  fled,  that  the  Lord 
was  coming,'  she  calmly  and  sweetly  replied,  '  Well,  his 
will  be  done.  How  soon?  To-day?'  'Yes,'  said  the 
anguished  husband,  'in  a  few  hours.'  'Thank  the  Lord; 
the  struggle  will  not  be  long.  He  that  shall  come  will 
come,  and  shall  not  tarry.' 

"  This  opened  a  scene  which  is  seldom  witnessed,  even  in 

'  The  chamber  where  the  good  man  meets  his  fate, 
So  privileged  beyond  the  common  walk 
Of  virtuous  life,  quite  on  the  verge  of  heaven.' 

"  But,  however  desirable  to  describe  it  for  the  praise  of 
the  glory  of  God's  grace,  there  is  not  space  for  detail.  A 
sentence  or  two  must  suffice. 

"When  asked,  'Have  you  any  word  of  advice  for  us?' 
she  replied,  'I'm  so  exhausted  I  cannot  say  much.  "The 
Lord  will  provide  :"  trust  Him.  I  put  my  trust  in  Him  long 
ago.  He'll  not  forsake  me.  He  has  given  sweet  promises; 
I  just  took  Him  at  his  word.  .  .  .  Well,  let  Him — let 
Him  come  !  He'll  do  all  that's  right.  He'll  take  me  to 
Himself.  I  have  no  fears, — no  fears  at  all.'  When  subse- 
quently asked,  '  Is  Jesus  with  you?'  'Yes;  He  is  precious. 
I  put  my  trust  in  Him  alone, — alone.' 

"Her  two  younger  sons  are  just  about  closing  their  course 
in  the  seminary  at  Princeton  ;  and  when  asked  if  it  would 


5oo  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

not  have  gratified  her  to  have  lived  to  hear  them  preach 
the  gospel,  she  touchingly  replied, — alluding  to  her  diffi- 
culty of  hearing, — '  But  I  could  not  have  heard  them  !' 
When  asked  for  a  message  for  them,  she  said  to  them  and 
all  her  children,  '  Live  near  to  Christ,  and  be  kind  to 
one  another;'  and  subsequently  added,  'Don't  banish 
me, — talk  cheerfully  of  me, — think  cheerfully  of  me.  I'll 
be  with  you  oftener  than  you  think.  I'll  watch  over  you: 
"Are  they  not  all  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister 
to  them  who  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation?"'  Laying  her 
hand  upon  the  head  of  her  youngest  child,  who,  a  fort- 
night before,  had  completed  the  family  ingathering  by 
uniting  with  the  church,  she  said,  '  It  is  such  a  comfort, 
Julia,  that  you  were  brought  in  before  I  was  called.' 

"After  sending  messages  to  her  absent  dear  ones, — giving 
a  parting  kiss  to  her  children, — she  sought  her  husband's 
hand,  gazed  intently  upon  him,  and  faltered,  '  Darling 
husband,  we  have  lived  long  and  happily  together,  and 
we'll  not  be  long  apart.'  She  gave  him  a  parting  kiss,  and 
passed  to  the  better  land. 

"  '  She  died  as  sets  the  morning  star,  which  goes 
Not  down  behind  the  darkened  west,  nor  hides 
Obscured  amid  the  tempests  of  the  sky, 
But  melts  away  into  the  light  of  heaven  !'  " 

Rarely,  if  ever,  did  the  hand  of  death  sunder  a  marriage 
tie  of  greater  tenderness,  or  one  that  had  been  productive 
of  a  larger  amount  of  real  felicity.  For  nearly  thirty-five 
years  it  had  held  them  together  in  a  life  of  unbroken  har- 
mony, unfaltering  confidence,  and  deep  affection.  Those 
who  lived  in  the  closest  intimacy  with  them  never  knew 
of  the  slightest  ripple  in  the  sweet  and  smooth  current  of 
their  affection ;  and  it  is  believed  there  never  was  one. 
Of  course  the  stroke  was,  upon  the  survivor,  a  very  heavy 
one.  He  mourned  her  deeply,  and  with  a  tenderness  truly 
affecting;  but  such  was  his  perfect  faith  in  the  blessedness 
of  her  change,  and  such  his  unshaken  confidence  in  the 
wisdom  and  goodness  of  a  covenant-keeping  God,  that  his 
sorrow  was  not  like  the  sorrow  of  other  men.     There  was 


CONSOLA  TION. 


5°! 


a  brightness — almost  an  exultation — in  it  which  nothing 
could  impart  except  that  faith  which  is  "the  evidence  of 
things  not  seen."  Indeed,  for  years  he  seemed  to  feel  that 
she  was  more  constantly  present  with  him  than  she  had 
been  whilst  in  the  body ;  and  this  feeling  never  left  him 
until  consciousness  seemed  suppressed  in  his  own  dying 
struggle.  Nor  do  we  know  that  it  then  forsook  him.  Her 
miniature  was  always  placed  upon  his  study-table,  so  that 
at  any  moment  he  could  turn  an  affectionate  glance  upon 
it ;  and  memories  of  her  seemed  to  mingle  with  all  his 
thoughts,  and  even  with  his  severer  studies,  without  in  the 
slightest  measure  interrupting  them.  In  speaking  of  her 
to  his  children,  or  writing  of  her  to  them,  or  to  his  brother, 
he  usually  spoke  of  her  as  "sweet  mother;"  and  it  was 
affecting  to  witness  the  tenderness  with  which  this  man  of 
strong  intellect  and  mighty  will  cherished  the  memory  of 
this  best  of  wives.  He  sometimes  in  his  letters  expressed 
the  fear  that  this  sentiment  was  verging  towards  the 
idolatrous. 

A  few  extracts  from  his  correspondence  with  his  elder 
daughter,  who  spent  the  winter  of  1855  in  Philadelphia, 
and  his  son,  Rev.  E.  D.  Junkin,  will  give  some  insight  of 
his  inner  life  in  this  season  of  affliction.  Less  than  a  year 
after  Mrs.  Junkin's  death,  he  wrote  as  follows : 

"  Lexington,  Jan.  8,  '55. 

....  "Yes,  indeed!  I  remember  the  Christmas  glee 
of  last  year,  and  your  sweet  mother's  happy  face.  It  has 
rarely  been  two  successive  hours  from  before  my  eyes  since 
last  February  23d,  whilst  I  am  awake.  Ah  !  how  I  see  her 
everywhere  !  .  .  .  And  when  I  turn  toward  the  unpressed 
and  unruffled  pillow  at  my  side.  Every  night  I  have  a 
quarrel  with  God  for  taking  her  away.  I  say,  'Why?  oh, 
why?  Could  she  not  have  done  immense  good  for  many 
years  to  come?'  But  the  Lord  answers  me,  'I  gave  her  to 
you  for  thirty-five  years.  Was  that  not  enough?  Who 
else  has  been  so  blessed  ?     Who  ever  folded  in  his  arms  for 


5o2  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

so  long  a  time  one  of  my  sweet,  precious  ones,  so  ready 
for  the  heavenly  fold?'  And  thus,  dear  M.,  I  am  stricken 
dumb,  and  find  not  one  word  to  say  against  it.  And 
yet,  when  the  next  night  comes,  the  same  battle  has  to 
be  fought  over,  and  He  gives  the  same  victory.  Thus  He 
is  drawing  me  up  ! 

"  Oh,  yes  !  Your  sweet  mother  and  sweet  E.*  are  sitting 
in  the  glorious,  holy  society  above.  Oh  that  I  were  fitted, 
as  they  were  and  are,  for  the  happy  home  !  She  said,  'I'll 
know  dear  Joseph!'  Yes,  she  knows  him  well;  and  she 
has  not  forgotten  us, — 'I'll  be  often  with  you  when  you 
don't  know  it.'  This,  too,  is  doubtless  realized.  My 
spirit  has  often,  I  believe,  sweet  intercourse  with  theirs ; 
and  sometimes  a  fragment  of  the  joy  is  left  in  the  confused 
relics  of  dreamy  consciousness. 

"Well,  my  dear  child,  I  can  hardly  say  I  passed  a  sor- 
rowful Christmas;  or  that  any  other  day  is  so.  It  can 
hardly  be  called  sorrow.  I  dare  not  call  it  joy ;  but  it  is  a 
mingled  state  of  emotion  higher  and  holier  than  either,  or 
both.  I  seem  to  myself  to  have  a  more  constant  appre- 
hension of  your  sweet  mother's  presence  than  when  she 
used  to  sit  at  the  window  or  flit  about  the  house.  In  all 
positions  I  see  her, — blooming  in  youth,  and  more  sweet 
in  her  last  years, — or  emaciated,  and  breathless,  and  cold, 
— all  sights  are  lovely,  because  I  obey  her  dying  breath, — 
'Think  of  me  as  a  happy  spirit  in  heaven.'  That's  the 
end  of  it  all.  And  we'll  soon  see  it  so,  if  we  prove  faith- 
ful and  submissive.  .  .  .  You  give  very  good  advice  about 
health.  Yes,  her  advices  have  far  more  influence  over  me 
than  when  she  too  was  in  the  flesh.  I  do  take  extreme 
care  of  myself  for  her  sake  and  her  children's.    .   .    . 

"Major  J.f  is  well,  and  growing  heavenward  faster  than 
I  ever  knew  any  person  to  do.  He  seems  only  to  think 
of  E.  and  heaven."   .... 

To  his  son,  Rev.  E.  D.  Junkin,  he  wrote,  January  8, 
1S58: 

"  I  have  no  better  wish  for  you  than  that  you  find  as 

*  Mrs.  Jackson. 

")"  The  late  Lieutenant-General  Jackson,  who  was  still  an  inmate  of  Dr. 
Junkin's  family. 


DEATH  OF  MRS.  JACKSON.  503 

good  a  wife  as  I  had,  and  live  as  happily  and  as  long, — or 
so  long  as  God  pleases.  It  is  wonderful  the  proportion  of 
my  thoughts  that  are  devoted  to  your  dear  mother.  She 
is  still  a  more  constant  companion  with  me  than  when  she 
sat  in  this  very  room.  When  I  look  at  the  miniature, 
morning  and  evening,  the  question,  When  shall  I  see  her 
sweet  face?  almost  idolatrously  precedes  the  question,  When 
shall  I  see  my  Lord  face  to  face  ?  I  often  pray  to  be  de- 
livered from  this  kind  of  idolatry.  ...  As  to  praying  for 
you, — that  duty  is  as  regular  as  eating  my  own  meals.  I 
doubt  not,  our  prayers  mingle  as  they  rise." 

Afflictions  seldom  come  singly.  Eight  months  after 
the  decease  of  the  mother,  the  daughter,  Mrs.  Jackson, 
was  also  taken.  Eleanor  Junkin  had  been  married,  as  has 
been  stated,  to  Major  T.  J.  Jackson,  on  the  4th  day  of 
August,  1853,  and  on  the  23d  of  October,  1854,  a  little 
more  than  one  year  thereafter,  she  went  to  the  better 
land.  Her  babe  and  she  were  laid  in  the  same  grave. 
It  was  a  terrible  blow  to  the  father,  the  brothers  and 
sisters,  and  especially  to  the  gallant  and  the  godly  young 
husband,  who  loved  her  with  a  most  intense  affection,  of 
which  her  beautiful  and  symmetrical  character  and  per- 
sonal loveliness  were  worthy.  He  continued  an  inmate  of 
Dr.  Junkin's  family  for  several  years  thereafter,  and  to  him, 
and  to  them  all,  the  sore  affliction  seemed  to  be  greatly 
sanctified. 

During  a  visit  made  to  Lexington  in  the  winter  of 
1856,  the  writer  of  these  pages  became  more  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  this  young  man,  who,  a  few  years  after- 
wards, was  so  famous  for  military  prowess  and  strategy,  the 
almost  idol  of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  No  one  could, 
at  that  time,  have  perceived,  in  the  modest,  almost  diffident, 
young  professor  of  the  Virginia  Military  Institute,  the  ele- 
ments of  high  command  and  soldierly  genius  which  were 
subsequently  developed  in  the  world-renowned  "Stone- 
wall" Jackson.     He  appeared  to  be  a  plain,  unassuming 


5 04  LIFE    0F  DR-   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

Virginia  gentleman,  possessed  of  sound  judgment,  good 
common  sense,  high-toned  honor,  deep  Christian  humility, 
and  remarkable  conscientiousness.  Many  sweet  and  pleas- 
ant hours  did  we  spend  in  private  Christian  fellowship. 
The  impression  was  left  upon  the  writer's  mind,  that  he 
was  indeed  "a  devout  soldier,"  but  he  never  suspected 
that  beneath  that  quiet,  almost  bashful,  exterior  there  slum- 
bered the  genius  and  the  energies  of  a  great  captain. 

The  relations  and  the  intercourse  between  Dr.  Junkin 
and  this  son-in-law,  both  before  and  after  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Jackson,  were  those  of  a  fond  father  and  an  affectionate  son. 
In  his  letters  to  the  present  writer,  the  former  usually  spoke 
of  Major  Jackson  as  "  my  dear  young  son."  And  few  can 
appreciate  the  anguish  it  cost  those  hearts  to  be  torn  asunder 
by  the  public  calamities  which  shortly  after  ensued. 

Other  changes  occurred  in  Dr.  Junkin's  family  from  year 
to  year,  by  which  a  part  of  it  was  taking  deeper  root  in 
the  Southern  country.  His  younger  son,  William  F., 
became  the  pastor  of  a  church  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
celebrated  "Natural  Bridge,"  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia, 
and  married  a  Virginia  lady  in  1855.  His  fourth  son. 
E.  D.  Junkin,  settled  as  pastor  in  North  Carolina,  and, 
in  1858,  married  the  daughter  of  a  minister  of  the  gospel 
in  the  neighborhood  of  his  field  of  labor.  In  1856,  his 
younger  daughter  was  married  to  Junius  M.  Fishburn, 
Professor  of  Latin  in  Washington  College.  But  this  happy 
union  proved  of  short  duration.  In  a  year  and  seven 
months  after  their  marriage,  Professor  Fishburn  was  sum- 
moned away  by  death.  He  died  on  the  26th  of  March, 
1858,  much  lamented  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  an 
accomplished  scholar,  an  amiable  man,  and  a  devoted 
Christian  ;  and  his  death  made  a  profound  impression  upon 
the  students  and  the  community.  Previous  to  this  afflic- 
tion the  elder  daughter,  Margaret,  was  married  (in  1857) 
to  Col.  John  T.  L.  Preston,  of  Lexington,  a  Professor  in 


DEATH  OF  A    GRANDSON. 


5°5 


the  Virginia  Military  Institute,  and  a  gentleman  of  high 
social  position.  Mrs.  Preston,  both  before  and  since  her 
marriage,  has  not  been  unknown  to  fame  as  a  graceful  and 
effective  writer,  in  the  departments  both  of  poetry  and 
prose.  She  is  the  author  of  three  volumes  which  have 
commanded  high  eulogy,  and  of  many  fugitive  pieces. 

By  these  extensions  of  the  family  affinities  a  mysterious 
Providence  was  preparing  the  way  for  severer  trials,  as  yet 
in  the  womb  of  the  future,  which,  in  a  few  years,  were  to 
test  the  faith  and  lacerate  the  affections  of  the  subject  of 
this  memoir,  and  of  his  household.  Before  the  trials  inci- 
dent to  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  befell  him,  his 
heart  was  to  be  again  sorely  wounded  by  a  shaft  from  the 
hand  of  death  :  another  lovely  object  of  his  affections,  upon 
whom  he  had  bestowed  an  almost  idolatrous  love,  was 
smitten  down.  His  sprightly  and  beloved  little  grandson, 
George  Junkin  Fishburn,  the  child  of  the  deceased  profes- 
sor, was  taken  from  them  on  the  15th  of  August,  1859,  at 
the  age  of  two  years  and  two  months.  In  his  loneliness, 
after  the  death  of  Mrs.  Junkin,  this  child  seemed  to  have 
come  into  Dr.  Junkin's  inmost  heart.  He  had  been  his 
almost  inseparable  companion,  and  perhaps  no  other  trial 
of  his  life  more  deeply  affected  him.  Ever  after  this  loss  he 
seemed  fearful  of  permitting  his  affections  to  cling  to  any 
earthly  object.  These  and  other  afflictions  had  a  manifest 
mellowing  influence  upon  his  heart  and  upon  the  tone 
of  his  piety;  and  thenceforth  his  "conversation  was  in 
heaven  "  to  a  marked  degree. 

A  few  extracts  from  letters  written  during  these  years  to 
Mrs.  P.,  and  others  of  his  children,  will  indicate  his  habi- 
tudes of  thought  and  feeling  : 

.  .  .  .  "  In  permitting  this  trial,  God  has  wise  ends, 
which  you  may  not  now  be  able  to  see,  but  may  hereafter. 
'  He  will  make  it  plain.'  All  things  shall  work  together 
for  good.     There  is  no  sweeter  and  more  practical  doctrine 

43 


5o6  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

in  the  Book  than  this  of  the  Divine  sovereignty.  My  habit 
has  been  to  study  all  the  facts  before  me,  get  all  the  light 
I  can,  pray  for  direction,  then  decide  according  to  the 
dictates  of  conscience,  and  follow  up  the  decision  with  all 
my  might,  assured  that  it  is  the  Lord's  will.  And  even 
when  it  turns  out  badly,  I  don't  murmur  against  God, — 
scarcely  against  myself:   I  take  it  as  a  chastisement. 

"This  method  has  been  censured  in  Cromwell;  but  I 
never  could  see  a  reason,  good  and  sufficient,  for  the  cen- 
sure. If  I  can  find  an  error  in  judgment,  or  from  wrong 
feeling,  that  has  led  me  into  trouble,  I  submit,  without  re- 
pining, to  all  its  inconveniences, — confess  my  sin  before 
God,  obtain  absolution,  and  begin  anew.  There  is  no 
safer  method  than  entire  submission  of  our  own  will  to 
that  of  God.  '  Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord,  and  He 
will  bring  it  to  pass  :'  '  He  will  never  leave  thee  :'  'I  just 
took  Him  at  his  word,'  and  '  He'll  never  forsake  me.'  " 

In  a  letter  to  his  son,  Rev.  E.  D.  Junkin,  he  says : 

"  M.  and  hers  are  well.  G.  is  a  fine  boy;  but  I  cannot 
love  him  as  I  did  G.  J.  F.  No  !  no  !  nor  will  I  ever  love 
a  creature  of  God  so  again,  till  I  go  to  the  place  where  love 
and  bliss  immortal  reign." 

Among  the  correspondence  of  Dr.  Junkin  we  find  many 
letters  from  other  educators,  presidents,  and  professors 
of  colleges,  and  gentlemen  interested  in  the  great  sub- 
ject of  education,  asking  for  his  views  upon  various 
topics  connected  therewith.  These  letters  attest  that  his 
reputation  as  an  educator  was  wide-spread,  and  that  his 
opinions  were  sought  under  the  conviction  that  they  were 
of  value.  One  (from  the  University  of  Michigan)  asks  his 
opinion  upon  the  great  question  of  the  co-education  of  the 
sexes,  and  the  admission  of  females  to  the  college  classes. 
Another  asks  his  opinion  in  regard  to  the  value  and  impor- 
tance of  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics  as  instruments  of 
mental  culture.  Others  seek  for  hints  in  regard  to  the  best 
process  for  organizing  new  colleges.  Others  ask — and  this 
catalogue  is  quite  numerous — for  his  opinion  of  the  effect 


E  D  UCA  TIONA  L    CORRESPONDENCE. 


5°7 


of  secret  fraternities  among  students  and  the  alumni  of  col- 
leges, upon  their  discipline  and  efficiency,  and  upon  the 
standard  of  scholarship.  To  all  these,  it  appears  from  the 
indorsements,  he  returned  prompt  answers;  but,  as  no 
copies  were  retained,  we  have  no  means,  except  from  a 
general  knowledge  of  his  opinions,  of  ascertaining  the 
character  of  the  replies  given. 

His  letters  to  his  children,  and  to  his  brother,  afford 
abundant  proof  of  the  kindly  feelings  which  he  cherished 
towards  his  ministerial  brethren  in  Virginia,  and  of  the 
measure  in  which  he  prized  and  enjoyed  their  fellowship. 
Letters  received  from  these  brethren  abound  with  proofs 
that  his  regards  were  reciprocated  ;  but  we  cannot  afford 
space  for  extracts.  A  single  specimen  must  suffice.  On 
the  17th  of  February,  1853,  in  a  letter  to  his  son,  then  in 
the  Princeton  Seminary,  he  replies  to  inquiries  made  by 
the  latter,  in  regard  to  the  state  of  morals  and  religion 
in  Washington  College,  and  gives  statistics,  some  quite 
encouraging,  some  less  so,  and  adds : 

"  One  circumstance  which  greatly  encourages  us  is  the 
fact  that  the  pious  and  sedate  students  have,  beyond  dis- 
pute, the  pre-eminence  in  scholarship ;  and  our  mark  is 
high.  My  fond  hope  is,  that  from  twelve  to  twenty  of  those 
now  here  will  find  their  way  up  to  the  high  and  solemn 
office. 

"The  cry  for  help  rings  through  our  mountains  and 
valleys  and  we  tremble  in  apprehension  of  an  increase  of 
our  need  by  the  calling  away  of  two  of  our  most  valued 
and  beloved  brethren,  Dr.  McFarland  and  Brother  Morri- 
son. The  former  has  been  down  all  winter,  and  it  is  feared 
he  may  not  rise  until  the  trump  of  judgment  awakes  his 
glad  dust  from  its  long  slumber.  The  latter  has  had  a  bad 
hemorrhage  within  a  week,  and  great  fears  are  entertained, 
and  little  hopes,  as  to  the  result. 

"Pray  ye  the  Lord  of  the  harvest.  But,  alas  !  those  in 
the  office  cannot  get  bread.  Oh  that  He,  whose  are  the 
silver  and  the  gold,  would  put  into  the  hearts  of  his  own 
people  to  devise  just  things  !" 


5o8  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK'IN. 

With  the  brethren  named  in  this  extract  he  had  much 
pleasant  intercourse.  He  often  assisted  the  latter,  the 
Rev.  James  Morrison,  at  communion  and  other  services ; 
and  their  correspondence  discloses  a  very  cordial  brotherly- 
affection.  Neither  of  these  excellent  ministers  was  taken 
at  that  time ;  and  after  Mr.  Morrison  was  laid  aside  from 
labor,  Dr.  Junkin  supplied  his  church  (New  Providence) 
for  a  time,  and  his  son,  Rev.  E.  D.  Junkin,  was  afterwards 
called  to  the  pastorate,  in  which  he  still  continues.  Dr. 
McFarland  lives  (1871),  but  Mr.  Morrison  went  to  his  rest 
a  few  months  ago. 

In  1856  Dr.  Junkin  was  invited,  by  the  literary  societies 
of  Rutgers  College,  New  Jersey,  to  deliver  before  them  the 
annual  address.  This  duty  he  performed,  much  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  the  societies,  the  authorities  of  the  College, 
and  a  large  and  appreciative  audience,  as  was  indicated 
by  repeated  and  enthusiastic  applause  during  the  delivery 
of  the  discourse,  and  by  approbatory  notices  after  it  was 
published  by  request  of  the  societies.  This  was  the  more 
remarkable,  because  his  subject  embraced  topics  of  great 
delicacy  and  difficulty,  and  such  as  five  years  later  involved 
the  country  in  the  horrors  of  civil  war. 

The  authorities  of  Rutgers  College  conferred  upon  him, 
at  that  time,  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.D. 

During  these  years  Dr.  Junkin  did  not  relax  his  efforts 
in  the  cause  of  temperance,  but  labored  to  promote  the 
principle  and  practice  of  total  abstinence.  He  was  urged 
to  this  not  only  by  the  many  cases  of  intemperance  in  the 
community  in  which  he  dwelt,  but  more  especially  by  the 
fact  that  the  demon  had  invaded  the  College  and  compelled 
the  discipline  and,  in  some  cases,  the  expulsion  of  students 
who,  but  for  this  destroyer,  might  have  been  ornaments  of 
the  institution  and  a  comfort  to  their  parents.  Of  course 
his  efforts  awoke  some  opposition,  but  the  moral  tone  of 
Lexington  society  repressed  the  exhibition  of  the  rougher 


LOVE   FOR    THE    CONSTITUTION. 


5°9 


style  of  opposition,  and  confined  it  chiefly  to  parties  who 
either  were  engaged  in  the  traffic  or  were  themselves  fond 
of  the  dangerous  indulgence. 

It  ought  to  be  mentioned,  as  part  of  Dr.  Junkin's  Virginia 
life  and  labors,  that  he  could  not  abstain  from  his  favorite 
pastime — agriculture.  During  his  entire  life  he  was  fond 
of  "tilling  the  ground."  In  his  first  pastorate,  and  whilst 
presiding  over  the  three  colleges  which  claimed  his  labors, 
he  found  time  for  this  employment.  He  purchased  a  small 
farm  near  Lexington,  to  which  he  added  by  purchase  from 
time  to  time,  until,  at  the  date  of  his  exodus  from  Virginia, 
it  contained  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  This  he  caused 
to  be  cultivated  under  his  personal  supervision,  and  with 
improved  modes  and  implements  of  husbandry.  Its  pro- 
ductiveness was  steadily  increasing ;  and  had  he  remained, 
he  would  have  demonstrated  the  capabilities  of  the  lands 
of  the  Valley  to  the  great  encouragement  and  improvement 
of  the  agriculture  of  the  region.  As  it  was,  his  influence 
in  this  direction  was  beneficial. 

Thus  did  years  pass  usefully  and  pleasantly  until  the  time 
approached  in  which,  by  God's  mysterious  permission,  the 
madness  and  folly  of  men  brought  upon  our  beloved 
country  the  dire  calamities  of  civil  war.  To  avert  these 
evils  Dr.  Junkin  did  what  he  could.  Always  conservative, 
— cherishing  a  profound  veneration  for  the  Constitution 
of  his  country,  and  convinced  that  that  instrument  con- 
tained ample  provisions  for  securing  all  the  rights  of  all 
sections  of  the  nation, — he  had  always  labored,  both  North 
and  South,  to  inculcate  the  doctrines  of  the  Constitution, 
and  to  inspire  his  countrymen  with  love  for  its  principles. 
When  the  imprudence  of  violent  and  extreme  men  had 
at  last  involved  his  country  in  the  storms  of  political 
strife,  and  threatened  to  precipitate  a  war  of  sections,  he 
redoubled  his  efforts  to  allay  the  storm  and  arrest  the 
thu  iderbolts. 

43* 


5io  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

With  the  great  mass  of  the  men  by  whom  he  was  imme- 
diately surrounded,  he  was  happily  in  accord  upon  most 
of  the  questions  at  issue.  He  was  an  intense  lover  of  the 
Union ;  so  was  Virginia,  and  especially  the  people  of  the 
Valley.  The  country  in  which  he  lived  gave  a  fraction 
more  than  ten  to  one  of  a  Union  majority  at  the  election 
for  members  of  the  Convention  which  ultimately  proposed 
the  secession  movement.  In  that  Convention,  when  it 
first  met,  there  was  a  large  majority  of  men  utterly  opposed 
to  secession.  But  the  people  of  Virginia  were  almost 
unanimous  in  their  opposition  to  aggressive  abolition,  and 
so  was  Dr.  Junkin.  They  and  he  held  that  the  subject 
of  slavery  ought  to  be  left  where  the  fathers  had  left  it 
in  the  Constitution,  a  question,  not  between  the  national 
Government  and  any  of  the  States,  but  between  State  and 
State.  He  held  that  the  Constitution  required  of  each 
State  the  rendition  of  fugitives  from  criminal  justice  and 
from  labor,  upon  legal  demand  sustained  by  proof;  but 
that  the  claim  for  such  rendition  lay  against  the  authori- 
ties of  the  State  in  which  the  fugitive  was  found,  not,  in 
the  first  instance,  against  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  ;  and  he  held  that  the  latter  had  no  jurisdiction  over 
such  questions,  unless  brought  before  the  courts  of  the 
United  States  by  due  process  of  appeal.  He  of  course  held 
that  all  legislation  in  contravention  of  this  doctrine  was 
unconstitutional.  These  views,  upon  proper  occasion,  he 
advocated. 

There  was  a  society  of  the  citizens  of  Lexington  for 
mutual  improvement,  called  "  The  Franklin  Society."  It 
embraced  men  of  the  highest  intelligence  and  social  posi- 
tion. Among  Dr.  Junkin's  papers  is  found  an  official  invi- 
tation, in  pursuance  of  a  formal  vote,  asking  him  to  attend 
at  his  convenience  and  take  part  in  its  discussions.  In 
1859,  at  the  time  when  public  troubles  were  topics  of 
discussion,  his  voice  was  earnestly  raised  in  behalf  of  con- 


LABORS  AND   SACRIFICES  FOR   PEACE. 


511 


servative  principles  and  measures,  and  especially  in  behalf 
of  the  American  Union.  At  the  meetings  of  this  society, 
and  upon  other  suitable  occasions,  he  pointed  out  the 
danger  of  rash  counsels  and  of  extreme  views,  sought  to 
reassure  his  Southern  fellow -citizens  in  regard  to  the 
designs  of  the  great  majority  of  the  Northern  people,  and 
gave  freely  and  fully  his  interpretation  of  the  Constitution, 
which  was,  that  this  great  charter  of  our  country's  safety 
was  alike  opposed  to  secession  on  the  one  hand,  and  to  the 
invasion  by  the  national  Government  of  rights  properly 
belonging  to  the  States  on  the  other.  He  neglected  no 
opportunity  of  allaying  needless  agitation,  and  of  striving 
to  avert  the  impending  dangers.  He  deprecated,  as  utterly 
useless  and  mischievous,  the  whole  agitation  connected 
with  the  assertion  and  denial  of  the  right  to  carry  slaves 
into  the  Territories  of  the  United  States.  He  considered 
the  Southern  claim  an  abstraction  of  no  practical  value, 
and  resistance  to  the  claim  equally  futile  as  a  practical 
question,  for  he  knew  that  there  was  no  Territory  into 
which  slavery  could  be  profitably  carried,  and  that,  there- 
fore, it  was  worse  than  folly  for  the  one  party  to  assert  a 
right  which  they  never  could  use,  and  for  the  other  party 
to  dread  an  evil  that  never  could,  in  the  nature  of  things, 
become  a  reality. 

After  the  John  Brown  raid,  his  correspondence  shows, 
that  he  labored  to  allay  the  sectional  excitement  which  it 
produced,  by  assuring  those  among  whom  he  dwelt,  that  it 
was  the  mad  effort  of  a  disordered  enthusiast,  which  they 
ought  not  to  ascribe  to  the  whole  North ;  and  by  decided 
remonstrance  against  that  morbid  sentiment  which,  in  a 
few  Northern  minds  and  presses,  seemed  inclined  to  justify 
invasion,  riot,  and  murder,  because  they  were  professedly 
done  in  the  anti-slavery  cause. 

When  the  dreadful  crisis  which  he  had  long  appre- 
hended, and  which,  seventeen  years  before,  he  had  pre- 


512 


LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 


dieted,  seemed  just  at  hand,  he  put  forth  every  exertion 
which  his  circumstances  permitted  to  avert  the  calamity  of 
civil  war.  Not  satisfied  with  the  positions  assumed  by 
either  of  the  larger  parties  into  which  the  country  was 
divided  in  i860,  he  voted  for  Hon.  John  Bell,  of  Ten- 
nessee, and  Hon.  Edward  Everett,  of  Massachusetts,  for 
President  and  Vice-President,  and  that  ticket  received  the 
vote  of  the  electoral  college  of  Virginia. 

After  Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected,  although  he  had  not  been 
his  choice,  he  advocated  acquiescence  in  the  decision  of 
the  country,  and  deprecated  any  and  every  other  course. 
And  he  was  anxious,  that  every  just  pretext  for  refusing 
acquiescence  on  the  part  of  the  South  should  be  removed 
by  the  Northern  States ;  and,  in  his  correspondence  with 
influential  Northern  men,  he  urged  the  repeal  of  all  uncon- 
stitutional and  unfriendly  legislation  which  was  found  upon 
the  statute-books  of  some  of  the  Northern  States. 

Among  other  efforts  of  this  kind,  he  addressed  a  letter 
to  the  Hon.  A.  G.  Curtin,  who  had  just  been  elected  by 
the  Republican  Party  Governor  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr. 
Curtin,  when  a  youth,  had  pursued  his  studies  under  Mr. 
Kirkpatrick,  at  the  Milton  Academy,  and  had  been  a  fre- 
quent hearer  of  Mr.  Junkin,  then  the  pastor  at  that  place. 
The  letter  was  entitled, — 

"a  voice  from  a  pennsylvanian  in  the   heart   of 
Virginia." 

After  some  kindly  allusions  to  their  former  acquaintance, 
and  to  the  satisfaction  he  felt  in  seeing  so  many  of  the  for- 
mer pupils  of  the  academy  which  he  had  helped  to  found 
rising  to  eminence,  and  a  tribute  to  the  Hon.  Andrew 
Gregg,  the  grandfather  of  Mr.  Curtin,  after  whom  he  had 
been  called,  who  had  been  the  personal  and  political  friend 
of  Mr.  Junkin's  father,  he  expressed  the  hope  and  belief, 
that  "the  family  blood  had  not  degenerated  in  the  third 


LETTER    TO    GOVERNOR    CUR  TIN, 


5l3 


generation,"  and  that  the  Governor  would  "not  turn  a 
deaf  ear  to  the  voice  of  a  son  of  Pennsylvania  sounding 
out  from  the  heart  of  Virginia."     He  then  proceeds: 

"I  feel  constrained  to  address  to  you,  to  my  beloved 
friends  who  still  survive,  and  to  all  to  whom  these  presents 
may  come  in  my  own,  my  beloved,  my  native  Pennsyl- 
vania, an  earnest  and  solemn  appeal  in  regard  to  the  perils 
of  the  times. 

"And  first  let  me  state  my  conviction,  fully  matured  and 
perfectly  settled,  that,  of  all  the  products  of  human  wisdom 
within  the  sphere  of  political  philosophy,  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States  is  the  most  profound,  the  most  tran- 
scendent. Indeed,  sir,  it  having  been  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  my  duty  annually  to  expound  this  instrument  to 
the  senior  classes  in  college,  every  time  I  repeat  the  lesson, 
new  evidences  of  its  amazing  wisdom  reveal  themselves  to 
my  admiring  mind.  Such  a  system  of  checks  and  balances 
is  found  in  no  other  human  production.  .  .  .  There  it 
stands,  in  its  sublime  grandeur,  the  Temple  of  Liberty,  in 
which  the  nations  may  bow  and  worship  that  God  whose 
truth  hath  made  them  free  !  Now,  who  will  win  a  disgrace- 
ful immortality,  who  will  damn  himself  to  eternal  infamy, 
by  applying  the  brand  to  this  glorious  structure  ?  Who  ? 
Shall  Pennsylvania  apply  the  hellish  torch,  or  fan  the  flame, 
and  bury  beneath  the  gray  ashes  of  this  temple  the  hopes 
of  freedom  for  the  world  ?  Shall  the  Keystone  become  a 
splitting  wedge,  to  rive  rather  than  to  sustain  its  arched 
vault,  and  leave  this  glorious  structure  like  Dagon's  temple  ? 
— a  ruined  monument  of  man's  folly  and  inability  to  govern 
himself, — the  jeer  of  despots  all  over  the  earth.  Forbid  it, 
proud  old  Commonwealth  !  Forbid  it,  ye  spirits  that  bled 
at  Brandywine,  at  Paoli,  at  Germantown  ! 

"  Then  bear  with  me,  sir,  whilst  I  point  warningly  to  the 
first  infraction  of  the  Constitution,  ...  a  brand  that 
has  long  lain  smouldering  within  the  temple,  and  has  re- 
cently been  fanned  to  flame  by  the  breath  of  fanaticism 
and  faction." 

He  then  quotes  and  expounds  Art.  iv.  sec.  2  of  the 
Constitution  in  regard  to  the  rendition  of  fugitives  from 


514  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

justice  and  from  labor,  and  constructs  a  strong  argument 
in  favor  of  the  faithful  and  sacred  observance  of  the  cove- 
nant of  the  Constitution  by  each  and  all  of  the  States ; 
and  then  makes  a  most  earnest  appeal  to  Governor  Curtin, 
and  the  people  of  his  native  State,  to  prove  faithful  in  this 
crisis  of  their  country's  history  to  her  Constitution  in  all 
its  stipulations,  and  not  only  to  meet  its  requirements,  but 
to  wipe  from  the  statute-books  of  the  State  any  enactments 
which  may  seem  to  conflict  with  the  national  charter. 

He  then  exposes  the  unlawfulness  of  secession,  and  quotes 
from  President  Jackson  the  language,  "Secession  does  not 
break  a  league,  but  destroys  the  unity  of  a  nation.  To 
say  that  any  State  may,  at  pleasure,  secede  from  the  Union, 
is  to  say  that  the  United  States  is  not  a  nation."  And, 
having  shown  that  secession  by  force  is  treason,  he  shows, 
that  any  other  refusal  to  abide  by  the  stipulations  and  the 
authority  of  the  Constitution,  is  equally  a  blow  at  the  na- 
tional unity.  And  having  spoken  eloquently  of  the  mission 
of  our  great  model  Republic  in  guiding  the  nations  of  the 
earth  in  their  efforts  after  regulated  liberty,  he  beseeches 
the  Governor  and  his  fellow-citizens  of  Pennsylvania,  by 
all  the  glorious  memories  of  the  past,  and  all  the  inspiring 
hopes  of  the  future,  to  be  loyal  to  the  Constitution. 

The  doctrines  of  this  letter  are  precisely  the  same  which 
the  new  President,  Mr.  Lincoln,  laid  down  in  his  inaugural 
address,  three  months  later,  and  which  he  pledged  himself 
to  carry  out.  And  the  writer  of  these  lines  never  doubted, 
that  Mr.  Lincoln  would  have  redeemed  his  pledge,  had 
extreme  measures  not  been  resorted  to  by  the  Cotton 
States. 

This  letter  to  Governor  Curtin  was  dated  "Lexington, 
December  nth,  i860."  It  was  published  in  the  Philadel- 
phia North  American  of  the  18th  of  that  month.  It 
attracted  much  attention,  and  elicited  from  some  of  the 
best  minds  of  the  country  decided  expressions  of  approval. 


LETTER    OF  ELI  K.  PRICE.  (^5 

On  the  very  day  of  its  publication,  the  Hon.  Eli  K.  Price, 
an  eminent  Jurist  of  Philadelphia,  addressed  a  note  to  Dr. 
Junkin,  of  which  the  following  are  extracts  : 

"Philadelphia,  Dec.  18,  i860. 

"Dear  Sir, — I  have  read  in  this  morning's  North 
American  your  sound  and  eloquent  letter  to  Mr.  Curtin, 
and  sincerely  thank  you  for  it.  It  sets  forth  most  clearly 
what  is  our  plain  duty,  and  it  is  directed  to  the  right  per- 
son, the  Governor-elect,  and  ought  to  shape  one  feature 
of  his  inaugural  address.  From  him  the  legislature  will 
more  willingly  take  this  policy  than  from  any  other  man 
in  the  State ;  and  the  power  is  now  wholly  with  the 
Republicans  of  this  State. 

"  I  write  to  you  to  say  that  you  are  right,  notwithstand- 
ing C.  G.  (Charles  Gibbons),  and  notwithstanding  Story's 
opinion  in  Prigg's  case,  and  right  as  since  decided  by  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  This  I  pointed  out, 
under  my  initials,  in  the  next  paper  after  C.  G.'s  of  the  8th 
December." 

Then  follow  some  citations  of  authorities  in  corrobora- 
tion of  the  views  expressed  by  Dr.  Junkin,  and  the  note 
ends : 

"Pray  write  again  to  the  Governor  -  elect  before  his 
inaugural. 

"With  thanks,  I  am,  etc., 

"Eli  K.  Price." 

As  Mr.  Price  was  a  man  of  eminent  legal  learning,  and 
was  also  in  sympathy  with  the  Republican  party,  his  com- 
mendation of  this  "Voice  of  a  Pennsylvanian  from  the 
heart  of  Virginia,"  ought  to  be  deemed  valuable,  especially 
as  it  was  a  spontaneous  utterance. 

After  South  Carolina  had  passed  her  ordinance  of  seces- 
sion, and  State  after  State  began  to  move  in  the  same 
direction,  a  convention  was  called  in  Virginia  to  decide 
the  question  of  her  future  relations  to  the  American  Union. 


5i6  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

To  this  Convention  was  chosen  a  very  decided  majority  of 
avowed  Union  men.  In  the  Valley  the  majorities  were 
very  large.  Rockbridge,  in  which  Dr.  Junkin  lived,  voted 
for  Union  men  by  more  than  ten  to  one.  His  great  grati- 
fication at  this  result  is  indicated  by  a  paragraph  which  we 
extract  from  a  letter  to  his  son,  the  pastor  of  New  Provi- 
dence church,  dated  February  6,  1861  : 

"  What  a  tremendous  defeat  the  secessionists  have  met 
in  Rockbridge  !  A  little  more  than  ten  to  one, — and  in 
Old  Virginia  they  will  be  in  a  decided  minority.  Nil 
desperandum, — the  heavens  do  rule.  We  are  wicked  enough 
to  deserve  destruction  ;  but  the  Lord  is  long-suffering. 
The  Brownsburg  vote  fills  me  with  gratitude  to  God  and 
the  noble  congregation  of  New  Providence.  The  people 
claim  to  say  something  in  regard  to  their  own  destiny." 

In  the  deliberations  of  the  Convention,  Dr.  Junkin  was 
intensely  interested.  There  are  on  his  files  letters  from 
members  of  the  Convention  breathing  an  intense  spirit  of 
Union,  and  showing  that,  in  his  correspondence  with 
the  writers,  he  had  used  all  his  influence  and  power  of 
argument  to  encourage  them  to  resist  the  secession  move- 
ment. These  letters  show,  that  their  writers  had  great 
respect  for  the  opinions  of  Dr.  Junkin  upon  the  questions 
then  agitating  the  public  mind.  They  also  disclose  some 
parts  of  the  more  secret  history  of  secession  in  Virginia. 
There  were  powerful  influences  exerted  by  parties  outside 
of  that  Commonwealth,  to  goad  and  drag  her  into  that 
infatuated  movement — influences  which  were  not  suspected 
at  the  time  by  the  people  remote  from  Richmond.  One 
writer  from  that  city  says : 

"We  have  great  difficulties  to  contend  with  here.  All 
the  metropolitan  press  is  against  us,  and  the  greatest  money 
power  is  active  against  us.  The  negro-traders  have  an 
immense  capital,  and  I  have  no  doubt  use  it  freely  in 
buying  up  votes  and  presses,  and  paying  agents  to  get  up 
county  secession  meetings." 


RESOLVES    TO   LEAVE    VIRGLVIA. 


517 


But  it  were  needless  to  attempt,  in  such  a  work  as  this, 
the  details  of  the  process  by  which  that  noble  old  Com- 
monwealth was,  contrary  to  the  repeated  vote  of  her  people, 
and  the  better  judgment  of  many  of  her  best  citizens, 
dragged  into  the  list  of  seceded  States.  The  Union  majority 
in  her  Convention,  under  influences  above  alluded  to,  and 
under  the  combined  force  of  sectional  prejudice,  the  violence 
of  ultra  men,  and  the  dread  of  being  suspected  of  disloy- 
alty to  the  Southern  cause,  gradually  dwindled,  until  the 
secession  party  gained  the  ascendency,  and  the  fatal  step 
was  taken  which  made  her  fair  fields  the  theatre  of 

"  The  bloodiest  picture  of  the  book  of  time." 

Against  this  dire  result  the  subject  of  this  memoir  exerted 
all  the  influence  he  could  put  forth;  but  it  proved  in  vain; 
and  events  hastened  on  which  constrained  him,  either  to 
sacrifice  his  conscientious  convictions  and  self-respect  by 
succumbing  to  the  popular  tide,  to  jeopard  his  personal 
safety,  or  to  withdraw  from  the  State  and  from  the  field  of 
labor  in  which  he  had  spent  so  many  peaceful,  useful,  happy 
years.     He  decided  to  depart. 

No  one  can  estimate  the  sacrifice  made  by  Dr.  Junkin 
in  executing  this  decision  without  knowing  the  man,  and 
what  he  was  forced  to  leave  behind.  He  had  been  happy 
and  useful  in  that  field  of  labor  for  nearly  thirteen  years. 
The  society  of  Lexington  was  highly  intelligent  and  genial. 
The  roots  of  his  family  tree,  as  we  have  seen,  had  struck 
deep  and  spread  wide  in  Virginia  soil.  Three  of  his  chil- 
dren, with  their  interesting  families,  were  left  behind  him, 
— his  two  sons,  being  pastors  of  important  churches,  and 
married  into  Southern  families,  and  his  daughter,  {he  wife 
of  a  Professor  in  the  Virginia  Military  Institute.  In  the 
same  institution,  too,  was  Jackson,  still  dear  as  a  son.  At 
Lexington  cemetery  he  had  "  purchased  his  cave  of  Mach- 
pelah,  and  buried  his  dead  out  of  his    sight.     There  he 

44 


5i8  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

had  made  the  sacred  deposit,  first,  of  one  who  had  so- 
journed by  his  side  for  almost  thirty-five  years ;  then  of 
his  second  daughter,  Mrs.  Jackson ;  then  of  a  noble  and 
beloved  son-in-law;  then  of  the  lovely  boy  who  soon  fol- 
lowed his  father  to  the  grave  ;  and  there  he  had  reserved  a 
burial-plot  for  himself."  In  Lexington, — beautiful,  pic- 
turesque, and  healthful, — near  to  the  ashes  of  his  dead,  and 
surrounded  by  so  many  surviving  dear  ones,  he  had  hoped 
to  spend  the  evening  of  his  days. 

There,  too,  were  his  farm,  his  library,  and  other  property. 
His  salary  was  ample  and  satisfactory ;  and  he  was  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  appliances  which  might  smooth  and 
comfort  his  later  years. 

But  he  left  it  all,  in  his  seventy-first  year,  for  love  of  his 
country,  her  Constitution  and  her  flag,  and  returned  to  his 
native  Pennsylvania.  It  was  a  crushing  trial,  and  a  heavy 
sacrifice;  and  all  the  more  so  to  a  heart  like  his.  Of  all 
the  refugees  from  the  insurgent  section,  perhaps  none  were 
more  distinguished,  and  none  adhered  to  principle  at 
greater  cost. 

We  will  give  the  story  in  his  own  naive  style,  as  published 
in  the  Presbyterian  Standard,  a  paper  ably  edited  by  the 
Rev.  Alfred  Nevin,  D.D.,  in  Philadelphia.  It  was  copied 
into  nearly  all  the  newspapers  in  the  North,  and  was 
printed  also  in  his  book  entitled  "Political  Fallacies:" 

"EXODUS    OF    DR.  JUNKIN. 

"  Mr.  Editor, — The  following  is  no  Parthian  arrow,  but 
a  simple  history,  designed  to  correct  misapprehension  and 
let  my  friends  in  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  know  the  truth 
in  reference  to  my  exodus  from  the  former  to  the  latter. 

"  In  the  month  of  February  last,  I  took  up  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States  for  exposition  to  the  Senior 
Class  in  Washington  College,  Virginia,  of  which  I  was 
then  president,  using  Sheppard's  excellent  little  work  as  a 
text-book.  This  was  an  anticipation  of  some  two  months, 
in  accordance  with  the  desires  of  the  class  and  my  own 


EXPOSITION  OF   THE    CONSTITUTION. 


5*9 


convictions  of  duty,  in  reference  to  the  dangerous  miscon- 
structions of  that  highest  production  of  human  genius.  I 
wished,  by  a  fair  and  honest  exposition,  to  convince  my 
young  friends  that  Union  preceded  Independence,  and  even 
the  Articles  of  Confederation — much  more  the  present  Con- 
stitution ;  that  neither  the  Continental  Congress  nor  the 
Articles  of  Confederation  created  and  constituted  a  Gov- 
ernment :  they  had  neither  supreme,  legislative,  judicial, 
nor  executive  powers.  The  Congress  was  simply  a  grand 
Committee  of  the  States,  exercising  many  powers  of  sov- 
ereignty, but  by  no  means  all  that  belong  to  national  sov- 
ereignty. In  these  lectures  I  dealt  largely  with  the  archives 
published  by  United  States  authority,  reading  from  them 
to  sustain  my  positions,  and  especially  from  the  minutes 
of  the  Convention  that  formed  the  Constitution,  passing 
through  the  entire  volume,  and  demonstrating  the  fact  of 
union  as  the  leading  principle — the  polar  star  recognized 
by  these  wise  men  of  the  west,  from  the  very  first  meeting 
in  this  city  in  September,  1774,  and  again  in  May,  1775. 
I  showed  that  they  felt  themselves  a  unit — they  recorded 
themselves  a  unit :  as  the  United  Colonies  they  appointed 
and  commissioned  George  Washington  as  Commander-in- 
chief,  in  whose  commission  the  phrase  '  United  Colonies' 
occurs  three  several  times.  My  object,  in  these  extended 
preparatory  discussions,  was  to  rivet  the  conviction  in  the 
minds  of  these  dear  young  men,  that  union  was  always  the 
master-thought  in  the  minds  of  American  patriots  ;  that 
union  was  the  basis  of  all  their  actions  ;  that  without  union 
there  could  be  no  freedom,  no  national  government,  no  in- 
dependence. From  this  position,  it  follows  irrefragably,  that 
there  never  existed  a  State  sovereignty  ;  the  supreme  power 
is  in  the  States  united  :  no  State  ever  declared  itself  an 
independent  nation — none  was  ever  recognized  by  any 
power  on  earth  as  an  independent  sovereignty ;  the  doc- 
trine of  State  rights,  or  State  sovereignty,  outside  of  the 
limits  of  State  constitutions  and  the  lines  of  demarcation 
fixed  in  the  United  States  Constitution,  is  necessarily  sub- 
versive of  the  national  government,  as  General  Jackson 
proved  in  his  proclamation  to  the  people  of  South  Carolina, 
and  from  this  follows  the  doctrine  which  he  affirmed,  that 
'disunion  by  armed  force  is  treason.'  The  pseudo  right 
of  secession  is  a  national  wrong. 


5 20  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKM. 

"But  in  the  progress  of  these  discussions  I  observed  a 
growing  restiveness  among  the  students,  heard  myself  called 
a  'Pennsylvania  Abolitionist,'  and  saw  written  on  the 
column  opposite  my  recitation-room  door  '  Lincoln  Junkin.' 

"About  the  close  of  March,  a  Palmetto  flag  was  placed 
on  the  centre  building  of  the  college,  surmounting  the 
wooden  statue  of  Washington.  ...  In  this  process, 
led  on  by  a  Georgia  student,  the  copper  lightning-rod  was 
bent,  and  subsequently  broken  off.  For  a  student  to  go 
out  on  the  roof  has  always  been  an  offence,  punished  by 
demerit.  This  flag  I  ordered  the  servants  to  take  down 
and  bring  to  me.  I  was  asked  what  I  would  do  with  it, 
and  replied,  'Burn  it  after  evening  prayer.'  But  whilst  I 
was  at  dinner,  they  procured  a  ladder,  climbed  into  the 
window  of  my  lecture-room,  and  took  the  flag  away. 

"About  a  week  after,  it  was  again  erected.  I  immedi- 
ately ordered  the  servants  to  take  it  down,  and  at  an  hour 
when  all  except  the  Freshmen  were  at  their  recitations ; 
these  stood  about  as  spectators,  and  asked  what  I  was  going 
to  do  with  it.  I  answered,  '  I'll  show  you.'  I  ordered  the 
servants  to  hold  the  butt  of  the  flag-pole  firmly,  and  throw 
the  top  over  from  the  chapel  roof,  which  is  a  story  lower 
than  the  centre  building.  When  the  flag  came  within 
reach,  I  stepped  up  and  took  some  matches  out  of  my 
pocket,  set  it  on  fire,  and,  when  it  blazed  up,  told  the  ser- 
vants to  throw  the  pole  out  from  the  building,  and  whilst 
it  flamed  up,  I  said,  '  So  perish  all  efforts  to  dissolve  this 
glorious  Union  /'* 

*  "  It  is  worthy  of  special  notice  here,  that  the  young  men  who  were  chiefly 
active  in  the  erecting  of  these  flags  perished  on  July  21,  1861,  in  the  first 
battle  of  Bull  Run.  Two  of  them  were  killed  by  one  cannon-shot,  and  a 
third  (and  he  the  leader)  perished  from  excessive  over-exertion  in  carrying 
his  wounded  companion  three  miles  to  the  railroad  car.  This  companion 
breathed  his  last  just  as  they  were  lifting  him  on  the  car.  And  thus,  to  a 
melancholy  and  fearful  extent,  has  the  malediction  prophetic  been  accom- 
plished. I  am  to  this  day — Dec,  9,  1862 — but  very  imperfectly  informed 
on  the  subject,  by  reason  of  the  rebellion  cutting  off  all  intercourse  be- 
tween me  and  my  two  sons  and  daughter  in  Rockbridge ;  but,  from  all  I 
have  heard,  I  am  painfully  impressed  with  the  belief  that  more  than  fifty 
per  cent,  of  all  those  misguided  youth  who  were  active  in  rebelling  against 
me  have  paid  the  forfeif  of  their  folly  by  the  sacrifice  of  their  lives.  This 
is  cause  of  unfeigned  sorrow ;  for  a  very  large  proportion  of  them  were 
youth  of  remarkable  promise  for  talents,  diligence  in  study,  purity  of  moral 
and  religious  character;  who,  but  for  these  bloody  fallacies,  would  have 
lived  long  and  adorned  the  higher  walks  of  professional  life. 


THE    DISUNION'  FLAG. 


521 


"  On  the  15th  of  April,  my  lecture-room  door  was  much 
injured  by  attempts  to  break  it  open  with  a  strong  iron 
bar.  The  library  door  they  succeeded  in  forcing  open. 
The  object  was  to  procure  the  jointed  ladder,  which  the 
servants  had  put  behind  the  amphitheatre  for  safe  keeping. 
(A  door  opens  between  the  library-room  and  my  lecture- 
room.)  On  the  morning  of  the  17th,  I  saw  a  disunion 
flag  surmounting  the  statue  of  Washington  and  the  light- 
ning-rod. After  prayer  I  detained  the  members  of  the 
Faculty,  and  waved  my  hand  to  the  students  to  retire.  I 
stated  to  my  colleagues  that  this  thing  must  be  stopped, 
etc.  One  of  them  said  he  had  just  received  a  petition  on 
the  subject,  signed  by  most  of  the  students.  I  asked  him 
to  read  it.  The  substance  (I  have  not  a  copy)  of  it  was, 
that  the  flag  which  they  had  erected  might  be  permitted 
to  remain.  I  stated  to  the  Faculty  that  it  had  been  placed 
there  in  violation  of  law,  and  in  contemptuous  resistance 
to  my  express  order,  and,  of  course,  if  they  would  grant 
the  prayer  of  the  petition,  my  course  of  duty  was  clear 
and  plain — I  could  not  be  coerced,  but  would  instantly 
secede ;  and  left  them  to  deliberate,  and  let  me  know  their 
decision. 

"At  eleven  o'clock,  the  usual  hour,  the  Junior  class  came 
into  my  room.  I  asked  whether  the  flag  was  on  the  top 
of  the  College,  and  received  an  affirmative  answer.  '  Then, 
gentlemen,'  said  I,  'I  am  under  the  necessity  of  assuring 
you  that  I  cannot  submit  to  this  kind  of  coercion,'  and 
dismissed  them.  One  rushed  toward  the  door,  shouting, 
'Thank  God  for  that!  thank  God  for  that!'*  and  yelled 
his  utmost,  in  which  he  was  joined  by  a  few  others. 

"At  twelve  o'clock,  when  the  Seniors  came  in,  I  read  to 
them  the  substance  of  what  I  had  said  to  the  Juniors,  and 
which,  meanwhile,  to  be  sure  of  the  identical  words,  I  had 
written  down  as  follows: 

"  '  Is  the  flag  still  on  the  top  of  the  College?' 

"Answer,  '  Yes.' 

"  'Well,  then,  gentlemen,  as  you  put  it  there  in  express 
opposition  to  my  order,  I  am  under  the  necessity  of  telling 
you  that  I  have  never  been  ridden  over  rough-shod  in  that 
style,  and  I   never  will   be ;   therefore,  I  never  will  hear  a 

*  "  Killed  at  Bull  Run,  as  I  learned  shortly  after  from  a  Richmond  paper. 

44* 


5  22  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

recitation  or  deliver  a  lecture  under  a  rebel  flag.    The  class 
is  dismissed. 

"  'April  17,  1861.' 

"They  rose  and  withdrew  in  the  most  gentlemanly 
and  respectful  manner,  with  every  appearance  of  sincere 
regret. 

"In  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  I  received  from  my 
colleagues  a  paper,  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy,  viz.: 

"  '  W.  College,  April  17, 1861. 

"  '■Action  of  the  Faculty  in  relation  to  the  Flag  on  the  College 
Buildings. 

"  '  Whereas,  The  students,  in  reference  to  the  tidings  that 
the  Virginia  Convention  are  about  to  adopt  an  ordinance 
of  secession,  have  hoisted  a  Southern  flag  upon  the  college 
building,  and  have  made  a  respectful  request  of  the  Faculty 
that  they  would  permit  it  to  remain  ;  and  whereas,  the 
Faculty  have  assurance  that  this  act  has  not  taken  place  in 
any  desire  to  violate  college  laws,  or  offer  indignity  to  any 
member  of  the  Faculty — an  assurance  given  by  the  students 
themselves  to  a  member  of  the  Faculty,  and  confirmed  by 
the  tact  that  they  promptly  took  down,  at  the  request  of 
the  Faculty,  a  similar  flag,  erected  on  a  former  occasion  ; 
and  whereas,  Dr.  Junkin  regards  this  act  as  a  wilful  viola- 
tion of  law  and  a  personal  indignity,  and  requires  the 
Faculty  to  have  it  removed  at  once,  on  penalty  of  his 
resignation — an  alternative  which  the  Faculty  think  that 
Dr.  Junkin  has  no  right  to  impose,  and  which  we  cannot 
allow  to  influence  our  action  in  the  premises,  although  we 
are  fully  determined  to  sustain  the  president,  or  any  indi- 
vidual member  of  our  body,  in  the  maintenance  of  disci- 
pline ;  and  whereas,  the  sole  object  of  the  Faculty  is  to 
allay  excitement,  and  insure  good  order  and  attention  to 
study  in  college,  in  this  time  of  civil  disturbance,  believ- 
ing, as  we  do,  that  these  ends  will  be  best  promoted  by  not 
requiring  the  immediate  removal  of  the  flag ;   therefore, 

"  'Resolved,  That  the  flag  be  permitted  to  remain,  at  the 
discretion  of  the  Faculty. 

"  '  Copied  from  the  minutes,  and  communicated  to  Dr. 
Junkin  by  order  of  the  Faculty. 

"'J.  L.  Campbell,  Clerk.'' 


MEETING    OF   THE    TRUSTEES. 


523 


"There  is  but  one  point  in  which  there  is  positive  in- 
accuracy in  the  above.  It  is  in  regard  to  the  flag  said  to 
have  been  taken  down  at  the  request  of  the  Faculty. 

"The  flag  there  referred  to  was  not  'a  similar  flag'  (as 
I  was  afterward  informed,  for  I  never  saw  it,  and  knew  not 
of  its  erection  until  after  it  was  taken  down)  ;  it  was  a  red 
flag,  and  it  was  not  erected  on  the  centre  building,  but  on 
the  building  in  which  my  lecture-room  was.  It  was  there- 
fore entirely  different  in  its  significance.  And  it  was  not 
taken  down  at  the  request  of  the  Faculty,  for  the  Faculty, 
as  such,  knew  nothing  about  it ;  it  was  taken  down  at  the 
remonstrance,  as  I  understood,  of  Professor  White,  for 
which  interposition  I  felt  thankful.*  After  what  had  already 
transpired,  neither  I,  nor  the  public,  could  be  at  any  loss 
to  know  what  was  meant  by  erecting  a  red  flag,  not  on  the 
centre  building  over  the  statue  of  Washington,  as  had  been 
the  others,  but  over  my  lecture-room. 

"On  the  next  day,  I  called  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees 
at  2^2  p.m.,  the  earliest  hour  practicable,  on  account  of  the 
meeting  of  the  Presbytery  of  Lexington,  and  of  the  Supe- 
rior Court.  In  urging  the  Trustees  individually  to  attend, 
I  assured  them  it  would  take  but  a  few  minutes,  for  my 
resignation  would  be  peremptory  and  absolute,  and  leave 
no  room  for  discussion.  I  mention  this  circumstance,  in 
order  to  counteract  the  gross  misrepresentations  which  I 
have  been  told  have  found  their  way  into  some  of  the 
Richmond  papers,  but  especially  the  Dispatch. 

"The  Trustees  met  accordingly,  and  the  Board  was 
opened  with  prayer,  as  usual,  and  my  resignation  was  pre- 
sented, as  follows : 


*  "  The  lovely  youth  who  took  down  this  red  flag  from  over  my  lecture- 
room,  perished  at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  on  the  28th  of  August, 
1862,  aged  about  eighteen  years.  He  was  an  ardent  Union  man — a  devoted 
student,  pure-minded  as  the  blood  of  sprinkling  ever  cleanses  sinners  here 
below.  A  nobler  boy  never  took  seat  before  me  in  class,  during  the  thirty- 
one  years  of  my  presidency  in  colleges.  But  this  accursed  rebellion  crushes 
into  its  ranks  the  hoary  head  and  the  beardless  boy,  and  drags  them  on  to 
the  slaughter.  His  brother,  a  former  graduate,  lost  an  arm  in  the  same 
fight,  and  two  others  of  my  dearly  beloved  young  friends,  graduates  of  two 
years'  standing,  the  pride  of  their  parents,  and  ornaments  to  society,  fell 
likewise  on  the  same  bloody  field.  Oh,  ye  conspirators  against  our  glorious 
Union  and  the  peace  of  the  world,  look  at  the  slaughter  you  have  brought 
about,  and  think  of  the  dread  tribunal  of  Eternal  Justice ! 


5  24  LIFE    0F  £>R-  GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

"  '  Washington  College,  April  18,  a.d.  1861. 
"  '  To  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Washington  College. 

"  '  Gentlemen, — I  hereby  resign  the  office  to  which  you 
called  me  more  than  twelve  years  ago. 
"  '  Very  respectfully, 

"  '  Your  humble  servant, 

"  'Geo.  Junkin,  President.' 

"Dr.  McFarland  took  the  chair,  made  a  few  kind  re- 
marks ;  others  were  made — especially  by  Lawyer  Davidson, 
who  was  quite  complimentary ;  the  vote  was  passed,  I 
shook  hands  with  all  the  members,  many  of  whom,  as  well 
as  myself,  were  overpowered  with  tender  emotions. 

"  Thus,  within  twenty  hours  from  the  time  I  was  in- 
formed that  my  colleagues  had  determined  to  permit  the 
secession  flag  to  wave  over  the  head  of  Washington,  my 
connection  with  the  College  which  he  had  so  nobly  en- 
dowed ceased  forever. 

"  With  pleasure  I  append  the  following,  which  shows 
truly,  that  no  personal  ill  feeling  has  ever  existed  toward 
me  on  the  part  of  my  late  colleagues,  as  I  doubt  not  they 
are  perfectly  aware,  that  my  mind  is  equally  free  from  every 
emotion  inconsistent  with  our  literary  and  Christian  rela- 
tions. These  difficulties  have  sprung  from  the  false  politi- 
cal maxims  of  Calhounism,  which  break  down  all  the 
barriers  of  moral  truth,  and  are  rushing  human  society  into 
the  vortex  of  anarchy,  and  which  must  end  in  iron-handed 
despotism. 

" '  Washlngton  College,  April  18,  1861. 
"  '  Reii.  Geo.  Junkin,  D.D. 

"  '  Dear  Sir, — Although  we,  your  recent  colleagues,  as 
members  of  the  Faculty  of  Washington  College,  felt  it  to 
be  our  duty,  under  peculiar  circumstances,  to  pursue  a  line 
of  policy  which  you  did  not  approve,  and  in  consequence 
of  which  you  have  felt  constrained  to  resign  your  connec- 
tion with  the  Institution,  we  wish  to  say,  that  we  were 
actuated  by  no  feelings  of  disrespect  to  you  personally,  or 
disregard  of  the  high  position  you  have  filled  in  the  Col- 
lege for  so  many  years.  And  we  desire  now  to  express  our 
high  regard  for  your  manly  virtues  as  a  Christian  minister, 
and  as  a  gentleman  of  distinguished  talents  and  learning; 
and  to  assure  you  of  our  entire  confidence  in  your  integ- 


THE   EXODUS. 


525 


rity,  of  our  sincere  friendly  regards  for  yourself  and  family, 
and  our  earnest  prayer,  that  the  twilight  of  your  life  may 
be  its  brightest  and  happiest  period. 

"  With  much  esteem,  we  are,  very  sincerely, 
"  Your  friends, 

"  '  J.  L.  Campbell, 
"'A.  L.  Nelson, 
"  '  James  J.  White, 
"  'C.  J.  Harris.' 

"  Next  day  after  these  transactions  I  set  to  work  in  wind- 
ing up  my  business,  selling  my  property,  paying  my  debts, 
etc.,  and,  as  the  ways  of  public  conveyance  were  then 
blocked,  I  purchased  a  carriage,  drove  my  own  horses  three 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  Oxford,  Chester  County,  and 
came  in  on  the  cars  from  that  place  yesterday  morning. 

"  '  The  Lord  shall  keep  thy  soul ;  he  shall 
Preserve  thee  from  all  ill : 
Henceforth  thy  going  out  and  in 
God  keep  forever  will.' 

"  Geo.  Junkin. 
"  Philadelphia,  May  18,  1861." 

No  discourtesy,  much  less  violence,  was  offered  to  Dr. 
Junkin,  after  his  resignation  and  previous  to  his  exodus ; 
but  he  foresaw,  that  it  would  be  impracticable  for  him  to 
reside  in  a  Southern  community  with  his  intense  sentiment 
of  loyalty  to  the  Union. 

"I  saw  plainly,"  said  he,  in  his  introduction  to  the 
"  Political  Fallacies,"  "  that  if  I  remained,  absolute  silence, 
or  a  voice  in  favor  of  secession,  must  be  the  price  of  my 
personal  safety.  This  price  was  too  great  for  me  to  pay. 
It  would  bankrupt  my  self-respect  and  pollute  my  con- 
science. The  only  alternative  was  flight.  So,  leaving  all, 
...  I  crossed  the  Potomac  at  Williamsport,  after  dark,  on 
the  9th  of  May,  1861,  having  driven  the  last  thirty- five 
miles  from  Winchester  without  stopping  to  feed  my 
horses." 

The  haste  indicated  by  this  drive  from  Winchester,  was 
not  prompted  by  any  dread  of  molestation  from  the  South- 
ern troops;  for  Dr.  Junkin  had  with  him  a  "pass"  from 


526  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

Governor  Letcher  of  Virginia,  but  found  no  occasion  to 
exhibit  it  on  the  journey ;  and  although  Harper's  Ferry 
had  been  taken,  and  troops  were  in  motion  throughout 
Virginia,  there  was  as  yet  no  exasperation  of  feeling,  and 
had  been  no  bloodshed.  Dr.  Junkin  was  accompanied  in 
this  hegira  by  his  younger  daughter,  the  widow  of  Professor 
Fishburn,  and  also  by  his  niece,  the  daughter  of  the  author 
of  this  book,  who  happened  to  be  on  a  visit  to  Lexington  at 
the  time  the  civil  war  broke  out.  No  incidents  other  than 
the  usual  toil  and  perils  of  travel  occurred.  His  route 
was  via  Hagerstown,  Chambersburg,  Carlisle,  and  Harris- 
burg,  past  the  place  of  his  birth,  and  through  the  scenes 
familiar  to  his  boyhood.  The  refugees  halted  a  short 
time  in  Chambersburg,  where  they  met  kind  friends.  On 
the  13th  of  May  he  stopped  at  the  house  in  which  he  had 
been  born  nearly  seventy-one  years  before  ;  and,  as  stated 
in  his  own  narrative,  proceeded  to  Oxford,  where  some 
relatives  reside,  and  thence  to  his  son's  residence  in 
Philadelphia.  There  he  found  a  home,  of  the  pleasantness 
of  which  he  was  fond  to  speak  to  his  intimate  friends,  and 
in  which  he  was  cherished  with  veneration  and  affection 
until  the  moment  of  his  departure  to  his  home  in  the 
heavens. 


CHAPTER    XXXI V. 

Residence  in  Philadelphia — Abundant  Labors — In  the  Camp — Among 
Soldiers — Colporteur— Sabbath  Question—"  Sabbatismos" — Benevolent 
Institutions— Preaching — Private  Studies — Treatise  on  Sanctification — 
Treatise  on  Tabernacle — Commentary  on  "  Hebrews" — Death — Estimate 
of  Character — Intellect  and  Work — Piety — Prayerfulness — General  As- 
sembly of  1861 — Spring  Resolutions — "Political  Fallacies." 

ALTHOUGH  constrained  to  abandon  the  field  of  labor 
in  which  he  had  spent  so  many  happy  and  useful 
years,  Dr.  junkin  could  not,  did  not,  rest.  With  him 
life  was  labor,  and  labor  was  necessary  to  a  happy  life. 
Probably  no  years  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage  were  more 
diligently  and  usefully  occupied,  than  those  which  inter- 
vened between  his  exodus  from  Virginia  and  the  period  of 
his  death.  No  man  of  his  generation  more  fully  observed 
the  Scripture  injunction  that  forms  the  motto  of  the  title- 
page  of  this  volume, — "  Be  not  slothful  in  business,  fervent 
in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord." 

The  reader  of  this  book  must  have  observed  that,  in 
speaking  of  the  man  whose  life  and  labors  it  commemorates, 
the  writer  has  stated  facts,  and  has  rarely  indulged  in  epi- 
thets ;  and  he  feels  it  to  be  a  privilege  to  permit  others 
to  characterize  the  man  whom  he  so  tenderly  loved. 
Perhaps  no  language  which  the  author  could  employ  would 
so  concisely,  yet  truthfully,  portray  the  labors  of  the 
last  years  of  Dr.  Junkin,  as  the  following  extracts  from  the 
sermon  already  quoted.      Dr.  Knox  says  : 

(527) 


5  28  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

"  Dr.  Junkin  was  in  his  seventy-first  year  when  he  re- 
turned to  Philadelphia.  His  residence,  thenceforth,  till  his 
days  on  earth  were  ended,  was  in  the  family  of  his  son,  in 
which  he  received  the  honor,  the  veneration,  the  love,  the 
attention  which  such  a  father  might  expect  at  the  hands  of 
such  a  son.  The  Lord  will  remember,  and  richly  recom- 
pense him  and  his  for  their  devotion  to  his  venerable  ser- 
vant. Freed  thus  from  worldly  cares,  his  eye  not  having 
grown  dim,  nor  his  natural  force  abated,  Dr.  Junkin  was 
enabled  to  fill  up  his  remaining  years  with  deeds  of  mercy 
and  kindness.  In  the  last  seven  years  of  his  life  he  preached 
about  seven  hundred  times.  His  activity  during  this  period 
was  simply  amazing — almost  past  belief.  While  the  civil 
contest  raged,  his  zeal  in  the  behalf  of  the  soldiers  in  the 
field  and  the  hospitals  led  him  to  unwearied  efforts  for  their 
material,  and  especially  their  spiritual,  benefit.  As  a  Col- 
porteur of  the  Board  of  Publication,  he  visited  encampments 
whenever  they  were  within  his  reach,  and  distributed  tracts 
and  books,  and  preached  the  Word  of  Life.  At  Fort  Dela- 
ware and  Point  Lookout  he  spent  whole  days,  and  even 
weeks,  among  the  Southern  prisoners ;  and  after  the  deci- 
sive battle  of  Gettysburg,  he  was  among  the  earliest  on 
that  field  of  blood,  seeking  to  relieve  distress,  and  to  direct 
the  wounded  and  dying  to  Jesus,  the  all-sufficient  Friend 
and  Saviour  of  Men.  These  labors  of  love  were  rendered 
at  large  cost.  Many  of  those  who  were  associated  in  them 
with  Dr.  Junkin  found  them  too  much  for  their  strength ; 
but  the  deprivations  and  exposures  they  involved  he  en- 
dured without  any  apparent  personal  damage. 

"  I  need  not  do  more  than  mention  his  efforts  during  the 
recent  agitation  in  this  community  of  the  Sabbath  question. 
He  did  his  utmost  to  maintain  the  quiet  observance  of 
God's  holy  day.  In  ecclesiastical  assemblies  and  in  public 
meetings  his  voice  was  heard  pleading  the  strict  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Divine  Commandment.  Throughout  large  por- 
tions of  the  State,  as  well  as  in  the  city,  he  preached  the 
doctrine  of  Sabbath-sanctification,  by  a  holy  resting  on 
that  day  from  all  secular  employments  and  recreations. 
He  visited  the  Legislature  of  the  State,  and  besought  its 
members  to  lay  no  profane  hand  on  the  Divine  Institution. 
The  newspaper  press  fairly  teemed  with  the  articles  of 
'  Theophilus,'  which  were  afterwards   reproduced    in    the 


COMMENTARY  ON  "HEBREWS."  529 

volume  'Sabbatismos,'  and  by  the  untiring  energies  of  its 
venerable  author,  sent  far  and  wide  to  influence  the  public 
mind  against  consenting  to  any  lowering  of  the  standard 
of  legislation  in  the  matter  of  the  first  day  of  the  week. 

"  He  also  officiated  with  great  punctuality  and  with  deep 
interest  in  two  of  the  institutions  of  benevolence  in  the 
city.  In  one  of  them  the  inmates  had  arranged  his  desk 
in  anticipation  of  his  service  on  the  very  day  of  his  death. 
They  were  to  hear  his  voice  on  earth  no  more. 

"These  employments  and  engagements  would  seem  to 
have  been  quite  enough  for  one  of  such  advanced  years, 
but  they  were  not  enough  for  Dr.  Junkin.  As  he  had  been 
all  his  life,  so  during  this  last  period  he  was  a  diligent  stu- 
dent, and  especially  of  the  Word  of  God.  His  Bible,  in 
the  languages  in  which  it  was  originally  written,  was  ever 
open  before  him,  and  was  the  subject  of  his  most  earnest 
and  prayerful  investigation.  During  these  last  years  he 
wrote  and  published  a  treatise  on  Sanctification,  a  treatise 
on  the  Ancient  Tabernacle  of  the  Hebrews,  explaining  the 
evangelical  meaning  of  all  its  parts,  and  other  smaller 
works.  And  he  has  left  behind  him,  every  line  written 
since  his  seventy-fifth  year  was  completed,  a  Commentary 
on  the  Epistle  of  Paul  to  the  Hebrews,  in  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  pages  of  large  quarto  manuscript,  in  not  one  word 
of  which  can  be  detected  the  slightest  tremulousness  or 
other  sign  of  failing  age. 

"  Nor  have  I  yet  exhausted  the  catalogue  of  the  things 
he  did  during  the  time  of  his  so-called  retirement  from 
public  life.  There  was  not  a  subject  of  current  interest  in 
Church  or  State  on  which  he  did  not  express  himself,  and 
always  with  vigor  and  clearness,  in  the  public  press.  The 
end  of  this  life  of  work  was,  however,  at  hand.  The  Mas- 
ter whom  he  served  so  long  and  well  saw  that  the  time  had 
come  for  him  to  rest.  Dr.  Junkin  throughout  his  life 
feared  the  pains  of  death.  Of  this  he  often  spoke  and 
wrote  to  those  most  familiar  with  him.  God  was  most  gra- 
cious to  him  in  this  regard.  He  was  taken  ill  on  Monday, 
on  Tuesday  was  so  much  relieved  that  there  was  little  ap- 
prehension concerning  him,  and  on  Wednesday,  with  no 
apparent  aggravation  of  his  symptoms,  so  suddenly,  that 
there  was  scarcely  time  to  intimate  to  him  that  he  was 
dying,    and    for   him    to    murmur   the    words,    '  Saviour/ 

45 


530  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

1  Heaven,'  he  fell  asleep,  and  was  with  Christ,  which  is 
far  better.  So  closed  his  grand,  his  heroic  life.  '  He 
walked  with  God,  and  was  not,  for  God  took  him.' 

"This  sketch  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Junkin,  though  exceed- 
ingly incomplete,  shows  him  to  have  been  a  great  and  a 
good  man.  In  the  well-chosen  words  of  Dr.  Breed,  '  The 
mind  of  Dr.  Junkin  well  harmonized  with  the  material 
home  in  which  it  lodged — massive,  compact,  and  strong. 
To  say  that  he  was  a  man  of  talents — of  talents  of  a  very 
high  order — is  to  say  the  truth  ;  but  only  a  part  of  the  truth. 
He  was  a  man  of  genius — with  all  the  force,  fire,  and  origi- 
nality of  true  genius. '  I  would  not  represent  him  a  universal 
scholar,  for  this  were  to  say  that  he  was  superficial,  which 
is  precisely  what  he  was  not.  His  knowledge,  however, 
was  very  extensive.  A  most  diligent  and  patient  student 
during  his  entire  life,  he  did  not  fail  to  make  important 
attainments  in  nearly  every  branch  of  science.  But  his 
chosen  subjects  of  study  were  Theology,  and  the  philoso- 
phies most  closely  allied  to  this  science  of  sciences.  On 
these  great  subjects  he  was  a  profoundly  learned  man.  To 
use  again  the  language  of  Dr.  Breed,  '  It  has  not  been  our 
lot  to  come  into  intimate  contact  with  .another  man  who 
had  possessed  himself  of,  and  thoroughly  thought  out  and 
mastered,  so  many  of  the  leading  topics  of  educational, 
mental,  and  moral  science,  and  political  economy,  and  of 
theology.  These  topics,  stripped  of  irrelevant  surround- 
ings, were  laid  away,  like  specimens  in  a  museum,  upon 
the  shelves  of  a  capacious  and  wonderfully  faithful  memory  ; 
and  there  always  were  within  reach,  to  be  summoned  forth 
at  will  for  use,  whether  in  conversation,  debate,  or  literary 
composition.'  Nor  was  his  learning  a  dry  accumulation  of 
knowledge.  It  was  only  the  fuel  which  supplied  the  flame 
of  his  genius.  In  this  lay  the  secret  of  Dr.  Junkin's  power 
in  the  pulpit,  in  the  arena  of  debate,  and  in  the  lecture- 
room.  He  was  denied  the  voice  of  an  orator,  or  his  fame 
in  this  respect  would  have  been  well-nigh  unsurpassed. 
Notwithstanding  this  great  disadvantage,  the  vigor  of  his 
thought,  the  fulness  of  his  knowledge,  his  burning  words, 
his  touching  pathos,  and  his  brilliant  imagery,  and  the 
blood-earnestness  with  which  he  spoke,  often  overcame  all 
obstacles,  and  held  his  hearers  spell-bound.  In  debate  his 
pre-eminence  was  confessed.      I  have  heard  that  the  late1 


II IS   CHARACTER. 


531 


Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Miller  pronounced  him  the  most  irresist- 
ible man  in  public  discussion  whom  he  had  known.  The 
same  thing  is  true  of  him  as  he  appeared  before  his  classes. 
He  had  a  magnetic  power  over  his  students.  He  not  only- 
instructed  them,  but  transferred  to  them  the  enthusiasm  of 
his  own  nature,  and  moulded  their  minds  into  form  and 
fashion  like  to  his  own.  Of  this  the  most  valuable  evidence 
has  been  given  since  Dr.  Junkin's  death,  by  men  of  emi- 
nence in  Church  and  State,  who  sat  at  his  feet  during  their 
educational  career. 

"And  how  can  I  tell  of  his  heart,  that  generous,  noble 
heart,  which,  alas  !  for  those  who  loved  and  cherished  him 
— for  every  cause  of  humanity — for  the  Church  of  Christ — 
beats  no  more?  A  man  of  greater  magnanimity,  of  truer, 
deeper,  tenderer  affections,  I  do  not  believe  ever  lived. 
Here  I  dare  not  trust  myself.  I  have  been  overwhelmed 
by  the  outflow  of  the  greatness  of  his  love.  How  much 
more  others  !  and  I  cannot  safely  attempt  to  speak  of  that 
which  I  know  is  incapable  of  expression. 

"  But,  after  all,  Dr.  Junkin's  greatness  was  in  his  good- 
ness. He  was  an  humble  follower  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Like  his  Master,  he  was  among  his  fellow-men  as  one  that 
served.  Great  things  he  never  sought  for  himself.  He 
was  desirous  only  of  knowing  what  the  Lord  would  have 
him  to  do,  and  to  do  it  heartily,  as  to  the  Lord,  and  not 
unto  man  ;  '  knowing  that  of  the  Lord  he  should  receive 
the  reward  of  the  inheritance.'  His  humility  was  wonder- 
ful. I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  it  equalled  ;  I  am  sure  I 
never  saw  it  surpassed.  He  asked  nothing  for  himself,  and 
received  whatever  was  given  to  him,  not  as  of  reward,  but 
as  of  pure,  unmerited  grace.  He  confessed  himself  to  be 
an  unprofitable  servant.  I  need  hardly  say  he  was  a  man 
of  prayer.  He  dwelt  in  the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High. 
He  loved  his  closet.  He  knew  well  the  path,  and  trod  it 
constantly,  to  the  Holy  of  Holies.  And  in  all  places  where 
prayer  was  made  he  delighted  to  be.  The  noontide  hour 
found  him  as  often,  probably  more  often,  in  the  prayer- 
meeting  than  any  other  person.  From  the  ministers'  meet- 
ing for  prayer  he  was  never  absent.  During  the  week  ap- 
pointed in  the  beginning  of  the  year  to  supplicate  for  the 
conversion  of  the  world,  he  was  always  to  be  seen  and 
heard  in  the  services,  and  if  the  interest  excited  led  to  the 


532  LIFE    OF  DR.    G FORGE    JUNKW. 

continuance  of  them,  he  continued  to  attend.  Too  many 
appointments  of  this  kind  could  not  be  made  for  him. 
His  necessary  food  he  would  forego  rather  than  be  away. 
He  was  a  man  of  God — full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost — and  gave  himself  continually  to  prayer  and  the 
ministry  of  the  Word. 

"The  services  of  such  a  man,  protracted  through  so  long 
a  life,  eternity  alone  can  tell!  Nearly  five  thousand  times 
he  preached  the  gospel  in  the  regular  ministrations  of  the 
sanctuary.  His  other  ministrations  were  also  very  numer- 
ous. Who  can  measure  the  influence  which  he  has  exerted 
through  these  labors?  Probably  as  many  as  a  thousand 
young  men  passed  through  the  whole  or  a  part  of  their  col- 
lege life  under  his  guidance  and  instruction.  There  are 
students  of  his  in  nearly  every  State  of  our  Union,  and  in 
nearly  every  position  of  honor  and  usefulness.  In  Japan, 
in  China,  in  India,  in  the  Islands  of  the  sea,  there  are  mis- 
sionaries of  Christ,  in  whose  hearts  the  name  of  Dr.  Jun- 
kin  wakens  a  thrill  of  grateful  love,  as  that  of  the  man  to 
whom,  under  God,  they  are  indebted  for  whatever  they 
have  been  enabled  to  do  for  the  coming  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Christ  in  all  the  world. 

"  Time  fails  me,  and  ability  fails  me,  to  tell  of  his  heroic 
services  in  the  behalf  of  the  pure  faith  of  the  gospel,  of 
his  patriotic  zeal,  of  his  abundant  labors  in  the  cause  of 
temperance,  and  every  other  work  of  reform, — performed 
with  a  spirit  as  brave  as  was  that  of  Luther  or  Knox, — of 
his  publications,  by  which  so  many  have  been  enlightened 
and  instructed,  and  by  which  he,  being  dead,  shall  continue 
to  speak  to  the  generations  to  come." 

A  brief  detail  of  facts  will  vindicate  the  compact,  yet 
eloquent,  general  statements  contained  in  the  foregoing 
extract,  and  illustrate  Dr.  Knox's  words,  "His  activity 
during  this  period  was  simply  amazing — almost  past  belief." 

Shortly  after  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Junkin  in  Philadelphia, 
the  General  Assembly  of  1861  convened  in  that  city.  The 
streets  resounded  with  the  rattle  of  drums,  the  tramp  of 
soldiery,  and  the  noise  of  military  preparation.  The  North 
was  rushing  to  the  defence  of  the  border  and  the  capital, 
against  the  threatened  invasion  of  the  Confederate  forces. 


SPRING   RESOLUTIONS.  533 

The  deliberations  of  the  Assembly  were  literally  drowned 
at  times  by  martial  sounds,  and,  of  course,  the  members  of 
that  body  shared  in  the  enthusiasm  and  excitement  of  the 
hour. 

Dr.  Junkin  was  not  a  member  of  this  Assembly,  but  he 
felt  an  intense  interest  in  the  extended  discussions  occa- 
sioned by  the  celebrated  "Spring  Resolutions,"  and  was 
much  engaged  in  conversing  wkh  members  of  the  body 
upon  the  questions  involved  in  that  now  historical  paper. 
It  need  scarcely  be  said  that  he  was  in  favor  of  the  resolu- 
tions ;  and  after  the  Assembly  adjourned,  and  the  discus- 
sion of  the  action  of  the  Assembly,  in  regard  to  the  state 
of  the  country,  passed  into  the  public  press,  he  employed 
his  vigorous  pen  in  defending  that  action.  This  he  did, 
both  in  the  columns  of  the  newspapers  and  in  a  volume 
which  he  began  to  write  shortly  after  his  exodus,  and  which 
he  published  some  months  afterwards.  This  volume  is  en- 
titled "Political    Fallacies:    an   examination  of  the 

FALSE  ASSUMPTIONS,  AND  REFUTATION  OF  THE  SOPHISTICAL 
REASONINGS,    WHICH    HAVE    BROUGHT    ON    THIS    CIVIL    WAR." 

The  book  was  widely  read,  and  did  much  good  in  refuting 
the  Calhoun  doctrines  of  secession,  and  unfolding  the  true 
principles  of  our  Constitution.  He  demonstrates  historic- 
ally, and  by  an  inspection  of  the  Constitution  itself,  that 
such  a  thing  as  national  sovereignty  belonging  to  a  State  of 
this  Union  is  a  mischievous  absurdity.  The  book  con- 
tains the  same  doctrines  in  regard  to  our  Union  which  he 
had  always  taught,  and  in  which  many  of  his  fellow-citizens 
of  Virginia  had  agreed  with  him,  before  the  frenzy  of  sec- 
tional jealousy  had  become  so  rife.  The  volume  is  a  mine 
of  political  wisdom,  stated  in  such  simple  style,  and  with 
such  apposite  illustration,  as  to  make  it  comprehensible  by 
the  masses. 

And  yet  the  book  has  its  defects.  Written  as  it  was 
under  the  excitement  incident  to  the  civil  war,  cur  rente 

45* 


534  LIFE    0F  DR-   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

calamo,  and  with  a  feeling  of  intense  indignation  against 
doctrines  which  he  believed  to  be  the  cause  of  the  carnage 
and  horror  which  were  desolating  his  country,  there  is  a 
tone  of  impetuosity  in  some  passages  which,  whilst  it  suited 
the  times,  would  seem  discordant  in  a  period  of  profound 
peace.  Nor  does  he  always  distinguish  with  his  accustomed 
acumen  between  rights  which  may  justly  be  claimed  by  the 
States,  and  those  which  were  unjustly  assumed  by  the  seces- 
sionists, and  which  never  were  rights,  but  wrongs. 

In  his  zeal  against  the  foolish  claim  of  absolute  national 
sovereignty  by  a  State  of  the  Union,  he,  in  a  few  instances, 
seems  to  ignore  the  fact,  that  over  certain  things  the  Con- 
stitution guarantees  to  the  States  supreme  control — i.e.  sov- 
ereignty ;  but  not  such  a  supreme  control  as  would  permit 
resistance  to  the  National  Government  or  secession  from 
the  Union.  And  yet  it  is  well  known  by  those  who  knew 
Dr.  Junkin's  opinions,  that  he  was  a  thorough  Jeffersonian 
in  the  interpretation  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  and  was  profoundly  convinced,  that  the  centrifugal 
forces  of  our  system  are  as  important  to  union  and  liberty 
as  the  centripetal.  He  dreaded  consolidation  only  less 
than  secession. 

His  defence  of  the  Spring  Resolutions  in  this  book,  and 
his  answer  to  the  animadversions  of  the  Biblical  Repertory 
upon  them,  were  not  satisfactory  to  all  his  readers.  Grant- 
ing his  assumption,  that  those  resolutions  did  not  decide  for 
the  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  Southern 
States  the  question  of  civil  allegiance,  and  his  argument  is 
conclusive.  But  that  is  the  very  thing  in  dispute.  Dr. 
Hodge,  and  many  with  him,  verily  thought  the  Assembly 
did  decide  that  political  question,  which  an  ecclesiastical 
court  had  no  right,  by  our  Standards,  to  do.  If  their  in- 
terpretation of  Dr.  Spring's  paper  is  correct  (and  many 
think  it  is),  then  there  was  no  such  inconsistency  as  Dr. 
Junkin  charged  upon  Dr.  Hodge,  in  expressing  a  willing- 


"POLITICAL    FALLACIES:'  535 

ness  to  vote  for  such  a  paper  in  the  Synod  of  New  Jersey, 
but  not  in  the  General  Assembly  ;  for  nobody  in  New  Jer- 
sey denied  the  authority  of  the  United  States  as  a  govern- 
ment de  facto  over  New  Jersey,  whilst  many  denied  it  in 
the  Southern  country.  It  might  be  right  to  enjoin  Chris- 
tian citizens  to  be  loyal  to  an  acknowledged  government 
which  is  able  to  protect  them;  whilst  it  might  not  be  right 
to  extend  the  same  injunction  to  Christians  living  in  an 
insurrectionary  district  where  a  government  de  facto  exists 
so  strong  as  to  banish  every  other  flag  but  its  own.  It 
might  be  inexpedient  for  our  General  Assembly  to  decide 
that  the  Christians  in  China  ought  to  adhere  to  and  support 
the  ancient  dynasty,  even  if  they  lived  in  the  districts  in 
which  the  Chinese  rebellion  had  excluded  the  flag  of  the 
empire.  Such  a  decision  might  destroy  practically  the 
catholicity  of  the  church  of  Christ,  and  estop,  in  many 
portions  of  the  world,  her  missionary  work.  Upon  these 
questions  good  and  patriotic  men  may  differ  in  opinion. 
But,  whether  right  or  wrong  upon  this  question,  the  "  Po- 
litical Fallacies"  has  been  acknowledged  by  the  public 
to  be  a  very  valuable  contribution  to  our  ethico-political 
literature,  replete  with  important  truths  and  patriotic 
fervor. 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

Visits  to  Native  Place — To  Harrisburg — To  Susquehanna — Preachings — 
Newport  —  Old  Ironsides — Dr.  Hopkins — Assembly  of  1862  —  Omnipo- 
tence of  General  Assembly — Labors  in  Canal  Street — Patriotic  Labors 
— Doctrines  of  the  "  Political  Fallacies" — Secession  and  Consolidation 
— Prisoners  his  former  Pupils  —  Gettysburg — Prof.  Stoever's  Letter — ■ 
Death  of  "  Stonewall"  Jackson — His  Creed  and  Course — Colonel  Preston 
— The  Two  Commissions — Canal  Street — Meeting  of  the  Brothers — The 
Widows  —  The  Magdalen  —  Temperance  and  Sabbath  Labors  —  Sab- 
batismos  —  Hebrews — -Opinions  on  Public  Affairs  —  On  Church  Union 
— Last  Labors — Illness — Death — Funeral. 

DURING  the  years  immediately  succeeding  his  return  to 
Pennsylvania,  Dr.  Junkin  made  many  visits  to  differ- 
ent parts  of  our  country ;  all  of  which  he  seemed  greatly 
to  enjoy,  and  in  all  of  which  he  was  greeted  with  that 
warm  welcome  which  was  due  to  a  man  whose  labors  and 
sacrifices  in  the  cause  of  God  and  his  country  had  been 
so  remarkable. 

One  of  these  visits  he  has  described  with  some  minute- 
ness in  his  Reminiscences,  having  dropped  the  chrono- 
logical order  for  the  purpose  : 

"Having  for  some  months  cherished  a  fond  desire 
to  visit  the  place  of  my  birth,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kopp,  the 
Lutheran  minister  at  New  Kingston,  Cumberland  County, 
whose  church  building  stands  on  the  north  side  of  the 
street,  on  the  old  Junkin  farm,  just  south  of  the  'Widow 
Junkin's  tent,'  was  so  kind  as  to  make  arrangements  for  me 
to  preach  there  on  the  71st  anniversary  of  my  birth.  I 
arrived  at  his  hospitable  house  on  October  31st.  Next 
day,  November  1st,  being  the  end  of  the  71st  and  the  be- 
ginning of  the  72d  year  of  my  sojourn  in  this  beautiful 
though  sin-stricken  world,  Mr.  Kopp  accompanied  me  to 
the  old  stone  house  in  which  I  was  born,  now  occupied  by 

(536) 


VISIT  TO   NATIVE   PLACE.  537 

Mr.  Joseph  Kanaga,  son  of  the  Joseph  to  whom  my  father 
sold  it." 

He  then  proceeds  to  describe  his  survey  of  the  house, 
the  farm,  the  vicinity,  and  the  various  objects  associated 
with  his  childhood's  memories.  The  description  is  too 
minute  to  interest  the  general  reader,  but  it  gives  an  insight 
of  the  heart-workings  of  this  man  of  strong  mind  and  glow- 
ing affections,  which  perhaps  nothing  else  that  he  has 
written  could  so  effectively  do.  He  seems  to  have  gazed 
upon  everything  on  the  dear  domain,  with  an  eye  and  a 
memory  that  repeopled  it  with  the  loved  and  lost.  Even 
"  the  slate  rock  on  which  I  fell,  when  about  five  years  old, 
receiving  the  wound  that  left  this  small  cicatrix  upon  my 
brow,"  was  noticed.  The  changes  in  the  features  of  the 
locality  are  marked.  "But  seven  of  the  old  apple-trees 
planted  in  his  childhood  remain."  "Two  of  the  old  wal- 
nut-trees in  the  meadows  only  survive."  "I  noticed  the 
stump  of  the  locust  which  my  sister  Eleanor  had  planted 
near  the  window  of  her  chamber  in  1804.  .  .  .  The 
garden  which  these  hands  often  turned  over,  is  still  rich, 
but  now  rough,  and  all  the  trees  of  my  acquaintance  gone. 
The  old  weeping-willow,  at  the  northeast  corner,  passed 
away — all  gone."  He  and  his  friend  walked  to  several  of 
the  neighboring  farms  familiar  to  his  childhood,  but  rarely 
met  any  of  the  acquaintances  of  his  youth  : 

"  I  went  on  toward  the  old  school-house  where  first  I 
learned  to  read ;  but  there  was  no  school-house  there,  not 
a  fragment,  not  a  stone.  ...  I  wished  to  tread  alone 
the  very  path  my  feet  had  trodden  sixty-three  years  ago, 
but  the  grove  was  gone  ;  all,  except  the  land,  was  changed. 
I  could  not  find  the  trace.  .  .  .  Arrived  at  the  vener- 
ated ground,  a  thousand  thoughts  rushed  upon  me.  This 
is  the  very  spot  on  which  I  was  taught  my  earliest  les- 
sons ;  here,  every  Saturday,  without  fail,  we  answered  the 
questions,  'What  is  the  chief  end  of  man?'  etc.  Here  I 
talked  with  my  old  masters,  Jamieson,  Henderson,   Car- 


538  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

uthers,  and  the  rest.  On  this  very  spot  I  hit  the  ball 
against  the  gable  ;  just  there  I  often  struck  the  lever  which 
sent  the  ball  aloft  in  'sky-ball;'  down  yonder  we  played 
'cat  and  ball;'  just  here  I  had  the  only  pugilistic  contest 
of  my  life — politics  the  cause — in  my  eighth  year ;  over 
these  fields,  then  covered  with  forest,  we  played  '  fox-hunt ;' 
but  where  are  all  the  Walkers,  and  the  Irvines,  and  the 
Andersons,  and  the  Junkins,  and  all  the  rest?  Where? 
.  .  .  Filled  with  such  thoughts,  I  wended  my  way  back, 
as  nearly  upon  the  old  school-path  as  I  could  steer,  to  the 
old  homestead,  thence  returned  to  Mr.  Kopp's,  and  went 
with  him  to  the  church  at  7  o'clock  p.m.,  and  preached 
from  Matt.  xi.  28-30.  House  full,  and  close  and  solemn 
attention.  I  pleaded  for  the  conversion  of  some  souls,  as 
a  memorial  of  my  birthday.  I  doubt  not  that  the  Spirit 
of  God  was  there,  and  the  fruit  will  appear  in  eternity, — 
Comfort.  .  .  .  After  sermon  went  to  Mr.  Kanaga's 
and  slept  in  Sister  Eleanor's  room, — a  very  happy  night, 
both  sleeping  and  waking.  Where  will  I  be  at  the  end  of 
seventy-one  years  more?  And  then,  how  many  of  my 
childhood's  and  youth's  companions  will  I  find  in  that 
happy  home  ?  Oh,  my  God,  seal  the  truths  I  have  uttered 
this  night  upon  the  hearts  of  the  children  and  grandchil- 
dren of  my  early  friends  ! 

"On  Saturday  afternoon,  Mr.  Dinsmore,  pastor  elect 
of  Silver  Spring  Church,  conveyed  me  to  Mr.  B.  Bryson's. 
Here  I  found  children  and  grandchildren  of  my  early 
friends.  Next  day  I  preached  at  Silver  Spring,  from  John 
xiv.  27,  in  the  very  house  where  first  I  had  heard  the  gospel 
from  the  lips  of  Mr.  Waugh  and  Mr.  Linn.  Went  into  the 
graveyard  and  found  many  old  friends,  and  gazed  upon  the 
spot  where  lies  the  dust  of  my  grandparents,  my  uncles  and 
aunts,  my  dear  sister  Elizabeth  and  her  child,  and  two  of 
my  infant  brothers. 

"Went  from  church  to  Hogestown,  the  guest  of  Mrs. 
S.,  formerly  Margery  L.  There  found  poor  '  Jack'  L.,  one 
of  my  most  intimate  schoolfellows,  a  thoughtless  boy,  and 
still,  and  all  through  life,  thoughtless  on  the  subject  of  sal- 
vation. Had  a  long  talk  with  him  and  others  in  his  sister's 
room,  then  a  long,  serious,  and  tender  talk  with  him  alone, 
on  the  subject  of  his  life,  death,  and  future  destiny.  We 
both  wept.     He  is  waiting  till  God  changes  his  heart, — sub- 


PREACHINGS. 


539 


stantial  antinomianism.  Closed  our  interview  with  solemn 
and  tender  prayer.  He  came  out  to  hear  me  at  night. 
My  text,  '  Cut  it  down :  why  cumbereth  it  the  ground  ?' 
Upon  the  whole,  I  left  him,  hoping  against  hope,  that  my 
poor  old  schoolmate  will  be  brought  in  before  he  dies. 
The  Lord  grant  it  for  Jesus'  sake.  House  crowded  at  the 
service  to-night." 

He  then  describes  a  short  visit  to  Harrisburg,  and  to  his 
oldest  son,  a  surgeon  in  the  Union  army,  and  then  at 
Camp  Cameron,  and  concludes  the  sketch  of  his  visit  as 
follows : 

"Thus  have  I  been  preserved  and  carried  mercifully 
through  one  of  the  most  delightful  visits  which  I  ever  en- 
joyed. My  happiness  was  of  course  of  that  sombre  tinge 
which  leaves  the  deepest  impression  ;  and  fondly  do  I  hope 
that  God  will  make  it,  to  many,  a  blessing  even  more  valu- 
able than  it  has  been  to  myself." 

A  few  weeks  after  his  return  from  his  native  place,  he 
made  a  visit  to  the  field  of  his  former  ministerial  labors 
on  the  Susquehanna.  The  last  days  of  November,  and 
the  first  two  weeks  of  December,  were  thus  occupied. 
From  the  28th  of  November  to  the  1st  of  December, 
he  preached  six  times  in  Danville,  and  assisted  at  the 
dispensation  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  Thence,  he  visited 
Milton,  Turbot,  White-Deer  Valley,  the  fields  of  his  former 
labor,  taking  sweet  counsel  with  such  of  his  former  parish- 
ioners and  friends  as  survived,  and  preaching  the  Word  in 
those  places.  He  preached  eight  times  in  these  congrega- 
tions, and  visited  many  of  his  former  friends,  receiving 
everywhere  a  warm  and  affectionate  welcome.  Among 
others  whom  he  found  surviving,  and  with  whom  he  held 
sweet  Christian  fellowship,  none  stood  higher  in  his  regards 
than  the  venerable  woman  who,  almost  forty  years  before, 
had  kept  angel-like  vigils  beside  that  bed  of  sickness  which, 
in  a  former  chapter,  we  have  described, — the  mother  of  ex- 


540  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

Governor  Pollock.  "  It  was  truly  affecting,"  said  the  Gov- 
ernor, in  making  mention  of  the  visit,  "  to  see  those  aged 
people  sitting  closely  side  by  side,  for  hours  at  a  time, 
conversing  quietly,  and  sometimes  tearfully,  about  the 
past,  the  present,  and  the  eternal  future,  weeping  together 
over  the  memory  of  the  departed  yet  dear  ones  whom  they 
had  both  known  and  loved,  talking  of  the  scenes  and  the 
persons  of  the  past  and  of  their  common  hopes  in  regard 
to  that  heavenly  home  to  which  most  of  their  loved  ones 
had  gone,  and  to  which  they  both  expected  soon  to 
follow." 

In  churches  of  Philadelphia  he  often  officiated,  and  in 
Pottsville,  Port  Carbon,  and  other  places.  It  is  surprising 
to  learn,  from  his  register,  the  frequency  with  which  he 
preached  the  Word  during  this  winter.  On  the  16th  and 
the  23d  of  February,  we  find  this  record  in  the  register : 
"  16th.  Silent,  by  order  of  Dr.  Darrach.  23d.  Ditto." 
On  May  nth,  1862,  he  preached  in  Dr.  Swift's  church, 
Alleghany,  and  in  Dr.  Howard's,  in  Pittsburg;  next  Sabbath 
in  the  First  Church,  Columbus,  the  next  in  the  Methodist 
church  of  that  city,  the  next  in  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  Oxford,  Ohio,  where  he  had  formerly  resided,  and 
the  same  day  in  the  chapel  of  Miami  University.  On  the 
5th  of  June,  he  made  a  patriotic  address  in  the  court-house 
at  Madison,  Indiana;  and  on  the  8th  he  preached  twice 
in  Indianapolis  ;  on  the  14th,  one  sermon  and  an  address  in 
Valparaiso ;  and  on  the  next  day,  Sabbath,  preached  three 
times  for  the  Rev.  Dr.  Logan,  then  the  pastor  of  the  church 
in  that  place.  The  next  day  he  made  a  speech  in  the  same 
city  upon  national  affairs.  On  the  next  Lord's  day,  we 
find  him  in  Mercer,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  preached  twice. 
The  same  amount  of  labor  was  performed  at  New  Wilming- 
ton on  the  next  Sabbath.  Three  days  after,  he  preached 
in  the  Methodist  church,  Mercer;  two  days  thereafter 
(July  4th),   in  the  court-house  in  that  town,  he  made  a 


"OLD   IRONSIDES." 


541 


speech  to  a  large  assembly,  among  whom  were  three  sur- 
viving members  of  the  company  of  "  Mercer  Blues,"  which 
his  brother  John  had  led  to  the  Northwestern  frontier  in 
1812.  On  this  day  half  a  century  before,  he  had  delivered 
to  that  same  company  his  first  public  speech,  at  the  time 
they  volunteered  for  the  war. 

This  brief  summary  is  given  as  a  specimen  of  the  manner 
in  which  this  minister  of  Christ  labored,  week  after  week, 
to  the  end  of  his  life. 

In  April,  1S62,  he  made  a  visit  to  his  brother,  then  resi- 
dent at  Newport,  R.  I.,  as  chaplain  of  the  United  States 
Naval  Academy,  which  Institution  had  been  removed  to 
that  city  from  Annapolis  shortly  after  the  breaking  out  of 
hostilities.  Dr.  Junkin  enjoyed  this  visit  very  much.  The 
pure,  bracing  sea-air  of  Newport  invigorated  him,  and  the 
historical  associations  of  that  ancient  city  interested  him 
very  much.  Whilst  there,  he  officiated  often,  at  his 
brother's  request,  and  with  much  acceptance  to  the  officers 
and  cadets  of  the  Academy,  in  the  religious  services  of 
the  Institution,  both  on  ship  and  shore.  He  was  much 
gratified  with  the  opportunity  of  causing  "the  gospel's 
joyful  sound"  to  echo  through  the  wooden  walls  of  "  Old 
Ironsides"  (the  frigate  Constitution,  then  the  school-ship), 
which  had  so  often  trembled  beneath  the  cannon's  roar,  when 
the  gallant  Stewart  and  Hull  trod  her  decks,  and  guided  her 
to  conquest  amid  the  storm  of  battle.  He  preached,  also, 
in  the  First  and  Second  Baptist  Churches,  and  in  the 
First  Congregational  Church  twice,  then  and  still  under  the 
pastoral  care  of  the  lovely  and  accomplished  Dr.  Thayer, 
and  once  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Samuel 
Hopkins,  whose  peculiar  views  it  had  been  the  lot  of  Dr. 
Junkin  to  controvert  in  earlier  life. 

Returning  from  this  visit,  he  called  at  New  York  to  renew 
fellowship  with  his  life-long  and  beloved  friends,  Dr.  Mc- 
Elroy,  who  was  still,  as  he  had  been  for  more  than  thirty 

46 


542  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

years,  the  eloquent  and  able  preacher  and  model  pastor  in 
the  Scotch  Presbyterian  Church  in  that  city,  Dr.  Phillips, 
the  excellent  and  beloved  pastor  of  the  First  Church, 
and  Dr.  Knox,  the  judicious  and  venerated  pastor  of  the 
Collegiate  Dutch  Church. 

He  had  meanwhile  become  a  member  of  the  Mother 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  and  that  body  chose  him  one 
of  her  commissioners  to  the  General  Assembly  of  1862, 
which  that  year  met  in  Columbus.  His  younger  brother 
was  also  in  attendance  upon  the  Assembly,  and  they  were 
both  invited  guests  of  that  earnest  patriot  and  efficient  sup- 
porter of  the  Union,  David  Tod,  then  Governor  of  Ohio. 
His  Excellency  entertained  them  with  a  large  hospitality, 
and  took  a  deep  interest  in  those  discussions  and  acts  of 
the  Assembly  relating  to  public  affairs,  and  in  which  Dr. 
George  Jurikin  bore  so  prominent  a  part.  In  this  Assembly 
Dr.  Junkin  spoke  oftener  than  had  been  his  wont,  and  he 
seemed  always  to  be  listened  to  with  that  respect  and  in- 
terest, which  his  talents  and  his  peculiar  relations  to  the  past 
and  the  present  of  his  church  and  his  country  naturally 
inspired. 

The  patriotic  zeal  which  had  exhibited  itself  in  the 
Assembly  of  the  previous  year  seemed  to  have  become  in- 
tensified in  this ;  and  Dr.  Junkin  stood  full  abreast  of  his 
fellow-members  in  his  readiness  to  do  anything  which  an 
ecclesiastical  court  might  lawfully  do,  in  encouraging  the 
civil  authorities  in  maintaining  the  government  and  pre- 
serving the  Union.  At  this  Assembly,  and  in  connection 
with  questions  relating  to  civil  and  ecclesiastical  affairs  in 
Kentucky  and  Missouri,  issues  arose,  which,  four  years 
later,  culminated  in  the  exciting  scenes  and  the  doubtful 
doings  of  the  Assembly  at  St.  Louis,  in  regard  to  those 
that  have  been  called  the  "  Declaration  and  Testimony 
men.''' 

Into  these  issues  and  the  details  of  their  results  it  is  not 


OMNIPOTENCE    OF  GENERAL   ASSEMBLY.       543 

necessary,  in  a  biography  of  Dr.  Junkin,  to  enter.  All 
that  pertains  necessarily  to  his  history  is  the  statement,  that 
he  was  with  the  majority  of  the  Assembly  in  their  patriotic 
deliverances,  spoke  earnestly  and  eloquently  in  favor  of  the 
paper  introduced  by  Dr.  Breckinridge,  but  at  the  same  time 
deprecated  and  deplored  all  personal  animosities  growing 
out  of  the  diversities  of  opinion  concerning  them,  and 
was  also  steadfastly  opposed  to  some  of  the  principles' 
asserted  and  the  measures  adopted  by  the  Assemblies  of 
1865  and  1866,  in  relation  to  these  troubles.  Whilst  he 
went  further  than  some  of  his  brethren  deemed  ecclesias- 
tically lawful  in  deliverances  favorable  to  the  Union  and  to 
the  suppression  of  armed  resistance  to  the  government,  and 
whilst  he  disapproved  of  the  course  and  the  language  of  the 
"  Declaration  and  Testimony  men,"  yet  he  deprecated  and 
resisted  with  his  influence  and  his  pen  the  measures  adopted 
by  the  Assembly  in  regard  to  them.  He  saw  no  necessity 
for  resorting  to  expedients  of  doubtful  constitutionality, 
much  less  to  expedients  flagrantly  unconstitutional,  in 
order  to  reach  with  rapid  and  severe  discipline  these 
recusant  brethren.  He  deplored  the  assumption  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  powers  not  granted  to  that  body 
in  the  constitution,  powers  which  he  verily  believed  were 
dangerous  to  the  liberties  of  God's  people,  and  destruc- 
tive of  the  beautiful  and  well-balanced  Presbyterianism 
which  our  fathers  had  deduced  from  the  Bible.  He  felt 
that  the  assumption  by  the  Assembly  of  the  powers  of  a 
court  of  original  jurisdiction,  in  cases  of  discipline,  was 
unconstitutional,  and  tended  to  the  utter  destruction  of 
our  system  of  appeals  from  a  lower  to  a  higher  court. 
He  abhorred  the  doctrine  of  the  "omnipotence  of  the 
General  Assembly,"  and  in  a  series  of  vigorous  articles, 
published  in  the  North-  Western  Presbyterian,  a  paper  ably 
edited  at  Chicago  by  the  Rev.  E.  Erskine,  D.D.,  and  the 
Rev.  D.  McKinney,  D.D.,  he  showed  the  unconstitutionality 


544  LIFE    0F  DR-   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

and  the  dangerous  tendency  of  this  dogma,  and  besought 
his  brethren  to  beware,  lest,  in  their  excited  zeal  for  a  good 
end,  they  should  adopt  doctrines  and  measures  which  were 
revolutionary  and  destructive.  In  his  Presbytery  also, 
and  in  his  Synod,  he  raised  his  voice  against  this  sacrifice 
of  great  and  essential  general  principles  to  temporary  expe- 
dients. Admitting  the  maxim,  inter  arma  leges  silent,  as 
sometimes  applicable  and  necessary  in  temporal  govern- 
ments, he  claimed  that  it  is  never  necessary  in  govern- 
ments ecclesiastical. 

It  is  believed  that  his  views  of  this  matter  are  the  views 
which  prevail  with  the  great  mass  of  Presbyterians,  especi- 
ally since  the  reunion.  The  Old  School  branch,  before  the 
reunion,  had  substantially  receded  from  and  repudiated 
positions  taken  in  1865  and  1866,  and  the  New  School 
branch  stand  committed,  by  all  their  deliverances,  in  all 
their  separate  history,  against  the  high  church  doctrines  of 
the  "  omnipotence  of  the  General  Assembly," — the  right  of 
the  Assembly  to  assume  original  jurisdiction  in  cases  of 
discipline,  and  the  possession  by  the  higher  courts  of  all 
the  powers  of  the  inferior  judicatories.  This  would  be  a 
consolidation  of  power  more  puissant  than  the  Popedom, 
and  more  dangerous  to  the  liberties  of  God's  people. 
Against  it  Dr.  Junkin  left  his  latest,  almost  his  dying, 
testimony ;  for,  in  some  of  the  last  letters  traced  by  his 
pen,  he  charges  his  brother  to  resist  it  everywhere,  and  all 
the  time. 

The  summer  of  1862  found  the  writer  of  these  pages,  by 
orders  from  the  chief  of  his  department,  chaplain  of  the 
line-of-battle  ship  North  Carolina,  then  the  "  receiving- 
ship"  at  New  York.  He  had,  in  addition  to  his  official 
duties,  the  supplying  of  the  pulpit  of  the  Canal  Street  Pres- 
byterian Church,  being  invited  thereto  by  its  Session.  In 
the  autumn  of  that  year  he  was  ordered  to  the  steam  frigate 
Colorado,  then  put  in  commission  at  Kittery  Navy- Yard,  in 


LABORS  IN  CANAL    STREET. 


545 


the  State  of  Maine,  and  ordered  on  blockade  duty.  At 
his  suggestion,  Dr.  George  Junkin  was  invited  to  take 
charge  of  the  pulpit  of  Canal  Street  when  the  younger 
brother  went  to  sea.  He  consented,  and  preached  in  Canal 
Street  on  the  8th  of  October.  But  previous  engagements 
prevented  him  from  entering  fully  upon  this  charge  until 
the  month  of  November.  Meanwhile  he  made  another 
visit  to  the  West  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  preaching 
and  making  addresses  with  great  frequency.  Williamsport, 
Muncy,  and  his  favorite  charge,  White-Deer  Valley,  shared 
in  these  labors.  In  November  he  went  to  New  York, 
and  began  his  work  in  Canal  Street ;  he  made  his  home 
with  his  brother's  family,  at  79  Sands  Street,  Brooklyn, 
and  continued  to  labor  with  his  accustomed  assiduity  until 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  fought,  when  he  hastened  to 
that  scene  of  carnage,  and  toiled  in  arduous  attendance 
upon  the  sick  and  wounded,  and  in  constant  preachings 
and  ministrations  in  the  general  and  smaller  hospitals. 
He  labored  about  ten  months  in  Canal  Street,  and  with 
great  acceptance  and  usefulness.  His  memory  is  cherished 
anong  that  people  with  much  reverence  and  affection. 

Whilst  located  in  Brooklyn,  and,  indeed,  from  the  com- 
mencement of  hostilities  between  the  insurgents  and  the 
United  States  Government,  Dr.  Junkin  was  as  zealous  for 
maintaining  the  government  and  preserving  the  Union  as 
he  had  been  in  efforts  to  prevent  the  appeal  to  arms.  He 
omitted  no  opportunity  and  no  exertion,  compatible  with 
his  profession  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  to  encourage  his 
fellow-citizens  to  maintain  the  Constitution  and  the  Union. 

Approving,  as  he  did,  the  declaration  of  Congress,  in 
regard  to  the  objects  of  the  war,  viz.,  to  maintain  the 
authority  of  the  government,  and  preserve  the  Union  and 
the  Constitution,  he  lent  all  his  influence  and  employed  his 
voice  and  his  pen  in  helping  forward  the  good  work.  His 
patriotism  partook  of  the  vigor  of  his  mind  and  the  inten- 

46* 


546  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

sity  of  his  ardent  affections.  He  had  made  sacrifices  for 
the  cause  of  the  Union  such  as  few  other  men  were  called 
to  make,  and  he  seemed  willing  to  add  the  sacrifice  of  time, 
toil,  substance,  and  all  he  had,  rather  than  witness  the  dis- 
ruption of  his  country. 

He  was  repeatedly  called  upon  to  deliver  addresses  in 
vindication  of  the  cause  of  the  country,  and  generally  re- 
sponded to  such  calls,  sometimes  travelling  long  distances 
to  do  it.*  These  speeches  were  marked  by  his  usual  vigor 
of  thought  and  fervor  of  manner ;  but,  whilst  he  advocated 
the  energetic  defence  of  the  government,  he  at  the  same 
time  aimed  to  abate  the  exasperation  of  sectional  hate.  He 
did  not  believe  that  bitter  hatred  to  the  persons  of  the 
secessionists  was  a  necessary  or  proper  element  of  success 
in  a  war  for  the  Union  ;  and,  like  Mr.  Lincoln  and  the 
Congress,  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  he  did  not  con- 
template or  advocate  anything  beyond  the  preservation  of 
the  Union,  and  the  restoration  of  the  station  quo  ante 
bellum. 

Early  in  the  war,  he  prepared  and  published,  through 
the  house  of  Charles  Scribner,  of  New  York,  a  volume 
of  332  pages  duodecimo,  "Political  Fallacies,"  already 
noticed. 

There  is  not  space  for  quoting,  upon  these  pages,  any 
part  of  his  admirable  argument,  and,  as  the  book  was 
widely  circulated,  it  is  the  less  necessary.  We  can  only 
say  that,  in  the  judgment  of  at  least  his  Northern  readers, 

*  As  a  specimen  of  these  invitations,  take  the  following  telegram,  dated 

"  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  April  4th,  1863. 
"  To  Rev.  Dr.  Geo.  Junkin,  79  Sands  Street,  Brooklyn. 

"  Come,  if  possible,  "to  Bridgeport  to-night — a  short  speech — and  you  can 
return  before  Sunday.     Take  the  New  York  and  New  Haven  cars. 

"  F.  W.  Smith,  Jr." 

He  acceded  to  this  invitation,  as  well  as  to  similar  ones  from  Somerville, 
Oxford,  and  other  places. 


DOCTRINES   OF  "POLITICAL   FALLACIES: 


547 


he  demonstrated  the  "fallacies"  of  the  secession  doctrine 
■ — showed,  historically  and  by  an  inspection  of  the  Con- 
stitution itself,  and  from  the  recorded  interpretations  of  its 
framers,  that  no  colony  or  State  of  this  Union  ever  pos- 
sessed an  independent  national  sovereignty;  that  the  func- 
tions of  absolute  political  sovereignty  had  never  been 
allowed  to,  or  claimed  and  exercised  by,  any  State;  that 
national  sovereignty,  when  it  passed  from  the  British  crown 
at  the  Revolution,  had  passed  to,  and  been  exercised  by, 
not  the  several  States,  but  '•'  the  United  States  of  America  in 
Congress  assembled."  He  proved  that  the  United  States 
was  a  nation,  not  a  congeries  of  independent  communities, 
transiently  confederated ;  that  the  right  of  a  State  to  come 
into  the  Union  and  to  go  out  at  its  own  option,  never  had 
been  conceded  and  had  no  place  in  our  Federal  Constitu- 
tion, and  that  the  disintegrating  doctrine  of  secession,  as 
taught  by  the  Calhoun  school,  was  as  inconsistent  with 
every  acknowledged  principle  of  common  law  and  national 
structure,  as  it  was  with  the  fundamental  law  of  our  country 
as  written  in  the  Constitution.  Admitting  a  modified 
sovereignty  over  its  own  internal  police  as  the  inherent 
and  guaranteed  right  of  every  State,  and  deprecating  the 
assumption  by  the  national  government  of  any  powers  not 
constitutionally  belonging  to  it,  he  showed  that  the  right 
to  withdraw  at  option  from  the  national  Union  never  per- 
tained to  State  sovereignty,  and  that  the  assertion  of  such 
a  right  was  as  preposterous  as  it  was  suicidal.  He  also 
demonstrated,  that  our  admirable  Constitution  contained 
within  itself  a  perfect  system  of  checks  and  balances,  by 
which,  when  normally  worked,  all  the  ends  of  a  grand, 
free,  and  effective  nationality  could  be  attained,  whilst,  at 
the  same  time,  the  rights  and  interests  of  the  smallest 
States,  and  the  privilege  of  local  self-government,  could  be 
secured.  He  demonstrated,  that  consolidation  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  disintegration  inevitably  resulting  from  seces- 


548  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

sion  on  the  other,  would  be  alike  destructive  of  our  beautiful 
and  massive  continental  system  ;  that  the  State  govern- 
ments, working  in  their  proper  orbits,  strengthened  the 
nation,  and  that  the  national  government,  operating  within 
the  sphere  prescribed  in  the  Constitution,  would  prove 
mighty  and  beneficent  for  all  national  purposes,  whilst  it 
was  the  only  guarantee  against  foreign  invasion  and  wrong, 
and  domestic  strife  of  State  with  State. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  this  book  was  instrumental 
of  great  good,  in  placing  before  many  of  the  influential 
men  of  the  country  a  distinct,  lucid,  and  forceful  exhibi- 
tion of  the  great  issues  of  the  war,  so  that  thousands  could 
more  clearly  understand  what  we  were  contending  for. 

As  was  intimated  by  Dr.  Knox,  in  his  memorial  dis- 
course, Dr.  Junkin  was  one  of  the  most  prompt,  faithful, 
and  laborious  of  those  ministers  of  Jesus  who  hastened  to 
the  fields  of  battle  to  assist  in  attending  upon  the  wounded, 
the  dying,  and  the  dead.  Many  have  expressed  their 
astonishment  at  the  fact,  that  a  man  of  his  years  could 
endure  the  exposure,  and  perform  the  amount  of  labor, 
through  which  he  actually  passed.  In  these  toils  he  not 
unfrequently  was  called  to  minister  to  his  former  pupils, 
whom  he  found  among  the  wounded  and  the  prisoners 
from  the  Confederate  armies.  They  invariably  met  him 
with  affection,  and  received  his  attentions  with  gratitude. 
He  was  often  moved  to  tears  in  witnessing  the  sufferings 
of  Southern  soldiers  ;  and  whilst  he  strongly  reprobated  the 
cause  in  which  they  suffered,  he  commiserated  their  woes 
and  did  what  he  could  to  alleviate  them.  And  even  when 
he  did  not  come  in  personal  contact  with  them,  he  received 
letters  from  prisoners  who  knew  him  personally,  asking 
for  relief  and  counsel.  And  he  always  extended  aid,  to  the 
limit  of  his  means  and  opportunities.  On  his  files  are 
letters  from  Confederate  prisoners,  written  from  Fort  Dela- 
ware, from  Johnston's  Island,  from   David's  Island,  from 


PROFESSOR   STOEVER'S   LETTER.  549 

Rhode  Island  Hospital,  and  other  points,  some  of  them 
his  former  pupils,  others  only  acquaintances,  asking,  some 
for  books,  some  for  other  aid,  some  seeking  his  intercession 
for  their  release,  others  thanking  him  for  favors  previously 
extended  to  them  in  their  distress. 

Did  our  space  permit,  it  would  be  interesting  to  insert 
some  of  these  letters.  One  of  them  is  from  a  former 
pupil,  who  was  at  the  Theological  Seminary  when  the  war 
began,  and  left  his  books  to  take  up  arms.  It  is  dated 
after  the  surrender,  and  in  it  he  entreats  Dr.  Junkin  to 
intercede  with  the  proper  authorities  to  procure  his  early 
release  from  the  condition  of  a  prisoner  of  war,  that  he 
might  return  and  resume  his  studies  in  order  to  enter 
upon  his  Master's  work.  The  writer  of  the  letter  deplores 
the  time  already  lost  from  the  work  to  which  he  had 
devoted  his  life,  and  appears  to  long  for  an  opportunity 
to  redeem  the  time.  Of  course,  as  the  young  man  had 
taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment, Dr.  Junkin  did  not  hesitate  to  exert  all  the  influence 
he  .could  for  his  prompt  release. 

In  a  letter  addressed  to  George  Junkin,  Esq.,  by  Martin 
L.  Stoever,  LL.D.,  Professor  in  Pennsylvania  College,  and 
dated  Gettysburg,  December  28th,  1868,  one  of  those 
scenes,  between  Dr.  Junkin  and  the  Confederate  prisoners, 
which  illustrate  their  mutual  feelings,  is  graphically  de- 
scribed. We  shall  have  occasion  to  quote  other  passages 
of  this  letter,  but  cite  the  following  in  this  connection. 
Prof.  S.  was  a  native  of  Germantown,  and,  when  a  youth, 
had  met  Dr.  Junkin  when  he  was  Principal  of  the  Institu- 
tion there.  Thirty  years  after  separating  at  Germantown, 
they  met  in  Arch  Street,  and  the  Professor  was  surprised 
to  be  promptly  recognized  and  cordially  greeted.  He  then 
proceeds  : 

"I  did  not  see  him  again  until  we  met  in  Gettysburg, 
after  the  memorable  battle  which  proved  the  turning-point 


550  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

in  the  history  of  the  war.  He  was  frequently  at  my  house 
during  the  period  he  labored  so  faithfully  in  the  service  of 
Christian  humanity.  I  was  often  struck  with  his  power  of 
endurance,  the  earnest  and  indefatigable  efforts  he  put 
forth  to  relieve  human  suffering,  and  to  minister  to  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  wounded  and  dying.  We  were 
often  together  in  the  hospital  during  the  week  and  on  the 
Lord's  day,  and  I  know  how  earnest  and  faithful  he  was  in 
the  good  work,  how  his  heart  yearned  to  bring  souls  to 
Christ,  to  prepare  the  dying  for  the  great  change  which  so 
soon  awaited  them. 

"  His  manner,  too,  was  peculiarly  happy,  especially  when 
he  came  in  contact  with  his  erring  brethren  from  the  South. 
He  seldom  failed  in  conciliating  them,  and  awakening  their 
personal  interest,  always  without  the  compromise  of  his 
loyalty  or  patriotism.  His  connection  with  'Stonewall 
Jackson,'  and  a  golden-headed  cane  which  he  carried,  the 
gift  of  that  General,  were  often  made  the  occasion  of 
introducing  the  subject  of  religion  when  he  entered  the 
tents  of  the  prisoners.  One  Sabbath  afternoon,  when  he 
consented  to  preach  on  the  grounds  of  the  consolidated 
hospital,  I  found  perhaps  a  dozen  of  his  former  pupils  in 
Washington  College,  whom  I  persuaded  to  attend  the  ser- 
vices in  the  chapel.  Dr.  J.  delivered  a  very  pungent  dis- 
course ;  the  services  were  of  a  very  solemn  character.  After 
they  were  concluded,  these  college  young  men  all  remained 
to  take  their  old  preceptor  by  the  hand.  Among  the 
number  was  a  Confederate  chaplain ;  and  it  was  most 
touching  to  see  the  aged  man  of  God  throw  his  arms 
around  the  young  man's  neck  and  weep,  exclaiming,  '  I 
never  thought  you  would  be  engaged  in  this  work  !' 

"As  they  gathered  around  him,  apparently  most  glad  to 
meet  him  again,  he  took  from  his  pocket  the.  old  class- 
book,  and  commenced  to  call  the  roll,  and  rehearsed  the 
history  of  each  member,  showing  how  all  had  suffered 
more  or  less  in  consequence  of  their  resistance  to  the  best 
government  which  God  had  ever  given  to  men." 

Whilst  Dr.  Junkin  was  serving  the  Canal  Street  Church, 
and  his  brother  was  at  sea,  their  correspondence  was  kept 
up,  and  an  extract  from  a  letter  which  passed  between 
them  may  disclose  something  of  their  peculiar  trials,  and 


DEATH  OF  "STONEWALL"    JACKSON.  551 

shed  light  upon  the  spirit  by  which  they  were  animated 
in  that  dark  period.  Two  months  before  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg,  that  of  the  three  terrible  days  at  Chancellorville 
had  been  fought,  in  which  General  Jackson  was  mortally 
wounded.  The  following  are  extracts  from  a  letter  written 
by  the  younger  to  the  elder  brother  in  reference  to  that 

event : 

"  U.  S.  S.  Frigate  Colorado,  May  i8th,  1863, 
"off  Mobile  Bay,  near  Fort  Morgan. 

"My  dear  Brother, — For  the  last  half-hour  there  has 
been  the  severest  struggle  in  my  breast  between  two  con- 
flicting emotions — my  love  of  country  and  my  love  for  your 
noble,  dear,  godly,  but  misguided,  and  now  dead,  son,  Gen- 
eral Jackson.  I  knew  not  fully  how  much  I  loved  him, 
despite  his  zeal  in  a  bad  cause,  until  I  heard,  a  few  mo- 
ments ago,  of  his  death.  My  judgment  and  my  conscience 
cannot  but  approve  of  this  dispensation  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence, whilst  my  heart  cannot  but  mourn,  and  mine  eyes 
cannot  but  weep,  for  the  loss  of  one  so  justly  dear  (except 
for  the  one  great  error)  to  us  all.  I  have  never  for  a  day 
forgotten  your  emphatic  prediction,  uttered  in  a  mournful 
tone,  more  than  two  years  ago,  '  Jackson  will  perish  in  this 
war.'     And  now  that  sad  apprehension  is  history. 

"  Eight  days  ago,  viz.,  on  the  10th  inst.,  I  learned,  from 
some  prisoners  taken  in  a  prize,  that  Jackson  had  been 
wounded,  and  his  arm  amputated  near  the  shoulder.  I  feared 
the  worst;  for  I  knew  that  his  constitution  must  have  been 
pretty  well  run  down  with  toil  and  exposure.  This  morn- 
ing, about  three  o'clock,  Lieutenant-Commander  Jouett 
sent  in  nine  prisoners,  whom  he  had  taken  from  under  the 
guns  of  Fort  Morgan,  having  boarded  a  large  schooner 
loaded  with  cotton  and  burned  her  within  three  hundred 
yards  of  the  fort.  The  captain  of  this  schooner,  who  is 
quite  an  intelligent  man,  was  standing  on  the  quarter-deck 
of  our  ship  this  morning  at  half-past  five,  when  I  approached 
him,  and,  after  some  other  inquiries,  I  asked  him  if  he  had 
heard  how  General  Jackson  was  getting.  '  He's  dead, 
sir,'  was  his  reply.  'Dead,  sir?'  'Yes;  he  only  lived 
about  a  week.'  I  confess  I  was  shocked,  stunned;  for  I 
had  heard  that  after  the  amputation  he  was  doing  well.  I 
was  completely  unmanned,  and  had  no  heart  for  the  con- 


552  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

gratulations  that  I  heard  around  me,  concerning  the  capture 
of  several  vessels  last  night  and  this  morning.  I  sought 
my  state-room,  to  weep  there.  Is  it  wrong,  is  it  treason, 
to  mourn  for  a  good  and  great,  though  a  mistaken,  man  ? 
I  cannot  feel  it  to  be  so.  I  loved  him  dearly — but  now — 
he  is  with  dear,  dear  Ellje  and  the  rest !  O  God  !  thou 
doest  righteously.  Yea  !  is  there  not  mercy  in  this  sad  end 
of  him  we  could  not  but  love?  Oh,  give  us  grace  to  ac- 
quiesce in  these  terrible  mysteries  of  thy  providence  !  God 
comfort  thee,  my  brother;   I  know  He  will. 

"  I  now  have  more  confidence  in  the  ultimate  success  of 
our  cause.  So  long  as  such  men  as  Thomas  J.  Jackson  and 
Thomas  Cobb  were  against  us,  I  was  puzzled  to  know  why 
the  God,  whose  I  believe  them  to  be,  should  permit  them 
to  be  on  the  wrong  side.  But  now  they  have  both  fallen  ; 
I  feel  that  God  is  taking  them  away  from  the  evil  to  come  ; 
and  if  our  rulers  will  only  yield  to  the  wishes  of  the  people 
and  make  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  the  basis 
of  adjustment  and  the  aim  of  the  war,  God  will  soon  give 
us  the  victory.  The  moral  effect  of  the  loss  of  Jackson 
will  be  greater  to  them  than  the  loss  of  20,000  men. 

"  I  am  glad,  too,  that  since  it  was  God's  will  he  should 
die,  he  should  fall  by  the  hands  of  those  whom  he  was  help- 
ing to  destroy  our  country,  instead  of  by  our  own  bullets. 
It  seems  that  eight  of  them  fell  by  the  fire  of  their  own 
troops  as  he  and  his  staff  were  returning  from  a  reconnois- 
sance.  Three  were  killed  at  once,  and  Jackson  and  four 
others  wounded.  My  informant  could  not  give  me  any  of 
the  names  of  his  staff  that  were  shot. 

"God  comfort  and  pity  his  poor  bereaved  widow!  I 
believe  she  got  to  him,  and  was  with  him  when  he  died.  I 
try  to  pray  for  her — for  she  is  desolate  indeed. 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  described  to  you  the  parting  scene 
between  General  Jackson  and  myself.  It  was  at  the  base 
of  that  huge  precipice,  the  Maryland  Heights,  at  Harper's 
Ferry.  We  had  been  conferring  for  two  hours;  I  striving 
to  show  him  that  the  rebellion  was  inexcusable.  The  time 
arrived  that  we  must  part.  None  were  present  but  my  poor 
boy,  the  General,  myself,  and  our  God.  He  held  his  mag- 
nificent field-horse  by  the  bridle-rein.  His  left  hand  was 
gauntlet-gloved.  He  grasped  mine  with  his  right.  I  said, 
'  Farewell,  General ;  may  we  meet  under  happier  circum- 


"STONEWALL"    JACKSON.  553 

stances;  if  not  in  this  troubled  world,  may  we  meet  in' — 
My  voice  failed  me, — tears  were  upon  the  cheeks  of  both, 
— he  raised  his  gloved  hand,  pointed  upward,  and  finished 
my  sentence  with  the  words — '  in  heaven  !'  And  so,  with- 
out another  word,  we  parted ;  he  mounted  and  rode  away, 
and  if  we  ever  meet  it  will  be  '  in  heaven  !'  God  comfort 
us  and  all  that  mourn  his  loss,  and  give  us  all  grace  to 
secure  that  meeting  ! 

"  Oh,  my  heart  is  sometimes  broken — sometimes,  alas  ! 
bitter,  when  I  think  of  these  desolations,  caused  by  the 
ambition  and  fanaticism  of  bad  men  ! 

"Please,  as  you  have  opportunity,  assure  our  friends  of 
my  sincere  condolence  in  this  last  sorrow.  We  hear  that 
Hooker's  defeat  was  terrible,  and  that  but  for  an  error  of 
Lee,  in  ordering  the  recovery  of  a  fortified  hill,  Jackson 
and  Longstreet  would  have  environed  our  whole  army. 
My  dear  wife  will  give  you  all  details  of  personal  news. 
Pray  much  for  me.  I  want  to  be  holy,  for  our  Lord  is 
coming,  either  personally  or  by  terrible  judgments. 

"Love  to  all  with  you  and  at  Philadelphia. 

"  Your  sympathizing  brother, 

"D.   X.   JUNKIN. 

"Rev.  Dr.  G.  Junkin." 

As  much   curiosity  has  existed   in   regard   to   the  man 

whose  death  is  alluded  to  in  the  foregoing  letter,  it  may 

be  acceptable,  by  way  of  showing  his  spirit,  to  insert  one 

from   himself,    addressed    to    his    father-in-law,   after   the 

latter's  exodus  from  Virginia,  but   before   any  blood  had 

been  shed  : 

"  Harper's  Ferry,  May  22d,  1861. 

"  My  dear  Doctor, — Since  we  parted,  I  have  frequently 
thought  of  you,  and  was  much  gratified  at  the  reception  of 
your  letter.  Say  to  Uncle  D.  X.  that  Major  Preston  has 
in  charge  the  carrying  out  of  his  request  respecting  G. 
He  volunteered  to  see  G.  on  the  subject,  or  I  would  have 
attended  to  it  in  person.  Should  it  appear  that  G.  is  will- 
ing to  be  discharged,  I  will  write  to  the  Governor  at  once. 
At  present,  Major  P.  is  at  Martinsburg,  as  an  officer  for 
taking  the  vote  on  the  ordinance  of  secession,  but  he  will 
return  as  soon  as  his  duties  shall  have  been  discharged. 

47 


554  LIFE    OF  DR,   GEORGE    J  UN  KEY. 

"  It  is  more  than  gratifying,  in  these  times,  to  see  our 
General  Assembly  convening  at  the  appointed  place  and 
time,  under  the  banner  of  the  Prince  of  Peace.  May  the 
blessing  of  God  rest  upon  them  and  their  efforts,  is  my 
earnest  prayer. 

"  I  feel  unusually  concerned  about  our  Foreign  Mission- 
aries, but  my  consolation  is,  that  '  all  things  work  together 
for  good  to  them  that  love  God.'  We  know  that  the  church 
is  safe.  Give  my  love  to  J.,  George,  John,  Uncle  D.  X., 
and  their  families. 

"Affectionately  yours, 

"T.  J.  Jackson." 

The  original  of  this  letter  is  in  possession  of  Dr.  Sprague, 
the  biographer,  having  been  given  to  him  at  his  request. 

It  is  evident,  from  this  letter,  that  such  men  as  Jackson 
did  not  contemplate  at  that  time  the  severance  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  The  vote  of  Virginia  upon  the  Ordi- 
nance of  Secession  had  not  as  yet  been  ascertained,  and 
the  troops  under  Jackson  were  professedly  defending  the 
soil  of  Virginia  against  a  threatened  invasion ;  and  up  to 
this  time  he  had  hopes  that  an  adjustment  of  the  public 
troubles  might  be  reached.  His  solicitude  about  our 
Foreign  Missionaries  rose  from  the  fear  that  amid  the 
agitations  of  the  country  they  might  be  left  to  suffer  for 
want  of  funds  to  support  them. 

The  course  of  General  Jackson,  and  of  thousands  of 
others,  illustrates  the  danger  of  a  single  important  error  of 
opinion.  The  parting  scene  alluded  to  in  the  first  of  the 
foregoing  letters,  was  at  the  close  of  a  protracted  conversa- 
tion between  the  General  and  the  writer,  in  which  the  latter 
sought  to  convince  him  that  the  attitude  a'ssumed  by  the 
Southern  States  was  a  great  blunder, — a  rebellion  without 
a  cause  ;  that  Mr.  Lincoln  sincerely  designed  to  administer 
the  government  in  a  constitutional  way ;  that  whilst  he  would 
discourage  the  extension  of  slavery  into  the  Territories,  he 
would  not  interfere  with  it,  or  any  other  domestic  institu- 


JACKSON'S  DOCTRINE    OF  ALLEGIANCE.      555 

tion  of  the  South,  in  the  States  ;  that  if  the  Southern  States 
would  remain  in  the  Union  they  and  the  conservative  party 
of  the  North  had  a  clear  and  decided  working  majority  in 
both  houses  of  Congress,  and  that  if  the  South  would  stand 
by  the  Union  and  the  Constitution  they  would  find  all  their 
rights  secured ;  but  that  the  attempt  to  disrupt  the  nation 
would  bring  inevitable  disaster,  and,  even  if  successful, 
would  result  in  the  destruction  of  the  very  interests  they 
aimed  to  secure ;  whilst  the  sundering  of  the  Union  would 
inaugurate  the  Avars  of  a  hundred  generations  in  America, 
and  repeat  the  bloody  history  of  Europe. 

The  doctrine  with  which  General  Jackson  replied  to  all 
this  reasoning  was  simple,  comprehensive,  plausible,  yet 
fallacious  and  disastrous.     It  was : 

"As  a  Christian  man,  my  first  allegiance  is  due  to  my 
State,  the  State  of  Virginia;  and  every  other  State  has  a 
primal  claim  to  the  fealty  of  her  citizens,  and  may  justly 
control  their  allegiance.  If  Virginia  adheres  to  the  United 
States,  I  adhere  ;  her  determination  must  control  mine." 

This  is  the  substance  of  his  creed  upon  the  question  of 
allegiance.  It  was  in  vain  we  argued  with  him  that  this 
doctrine  was  false,  disintegrating,  destructive  of  all  possible 
nationality ;  that  under  our  glorious  Constitution,  which 
secured  all  necessary  rights  to  every  State,  strong  or  weak, 
and  guaranteed  the  advantages  resulting  from  distributed 
powers  and  local  legislation,  such  a  doctrine  was  as  useless 
as  it  was  dangerous :  he  still  adhered  to  the  opinion.  It 
had  been  early  inculcated,  and  had  strengthened  with  his 
strength.  With  him  it  was  a  conscientious  conviction, 
and  with  almost  the  entire  population  of  the  South.  And 
with  such  a  conviction,  it  is  not  matter  of  wonder,  that 
those  who  held  it  would  go  into  the  war  honestly  and  from 
a  sense  of  duty.  Like  Paul  when  he  persecuted  the  church, 
they  verily  thought  they  ought  to  obey  each  the  behests 


556  LIFE    OF  DR.    GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

of  the  State  to  which  they  owed  allegiance.  Their  sin 
lay  in  a  false  faith.  And  this  proves  that  belief  is  never  a 
matter  of  indifference.  An  erroneous  belief  does  always, 
in  honest  minds,  lead  to  error  in  practice.  It  is  only  the 
hypocritical  who  fail  to  carry  out  in  action  their  convic- 
tions. With  a  man  like  Thomas  J.  Jackson  there  could 
be  no  such  hesitancy ;  his  career  was  dictated  by  con- 
scientious principle.  We  of  the  North  think  the  principle 
is  wrong,  dangerous,  disastrous.  The  men  of  the  South 
may  have  been  just  as  honest  in  thinking  it  right  and 
safe. 

Before  Virginia  made  the  fatal  decision  to  adopt  the 
Ordinance  of  Secession,  there  were  no  more  earnest  Union 
men  in  the  country  than  Jackson  and  Preston ;  but  the 
moment  their  State  seceded  they  felt  it  to  be  duty  to  go 
with  her.  We  think  they  were  wrong,  but  they  were  con- 
scientiously wrong. 

And  this  view  of  the  case  shows  the  absurdity  of  expect- 
ing evangelical  repentance  for  political  sins,  and  of  making 
political  opinion  a  test  of  piety.  A  Scotchman  may  con- 
scientiously believe  that  monarchy  is  the  best  government, 
and  may  feel  it  to  be  his  duty  to  be  loyal,  even  to  a  bad 
king ;  an  American  may  claim  the  right  of  resisting  the 
authority  of  that  same  king,  and  may  do  it  conscientiously. 
May  they  not  both  be  Christian  men  ? 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1864,  Dr.  Junkin,  by  invitation, 
delivered  a  sermon  at  Altoona,  Pa.,  upon  the  occasion  of 
the  installation  of  a  former  pupil,  the  Rev.  Robert  M. 
Wallace,  as  pastor  of  the  church  in  that  place.  It  was  a 
discourse  which  had  been  delivered  several  times  before, 
but  the  members  of  the  Presbytery  of  Huntingdon  then 
present  expressed  a  wish  to  have  it  printed.  It  was  accord- 
ingly published  in  a  neat  pamphlet  of  48  pages.  It  is 
entitled  The  Two  Commissions — the  Apostolical  and 
Evangelical,  and  is  one  of  the  most  compact,  lucid,  and 


PREACHING  AT  FORT  DELAWARE.  557 

conclusive  arguments  extant  against  the  arrogant  claims  of 
the  prelatical  doctrine  of  apostolical  succession.  Every 
young  preacher  who  desires  to  possess  a  brief  and  satisfac- 
tory statement  of  the  true  idea  and  authority  of  the  Chris- 
tian ministry,  and  the  constitution  of  the  church,  ought  to 
obtain  it. 

In  June,  1864,  he  was  again  invited  to  resume  labor  in 
the  Canal  Street  Church,  N.  Y.  ;  but  as  he  was  employed 
ministering  to  the  soldiers  and  prisoners  at  Fort  Delaware, 
he  declined  the  invitation.  An  extract  or  two  from  the 
letter  to  his  brother,  declining  the  proposal,  will  throw 
light  upon  this  period  of  his  life : 

"  I  have  concluded  to  say  nay  to  the  Canal  Street  people. 
Tell  Brother  Lowrey*  my  heart  is  with  them,  and  I  should 
delight  to  serve  them  did  not  Providence  seem  to  call  me 
elsewhere.  I  have  just  returned  from  Fort  Delaware,  where 
I  have  been  preaching  and  distributing  the  books  of  our 
Board.  There  are  at  Fort  Delaware  9000  prisoners,  and  I 
see  by  this  morning's  paper  that  450  more  will  reach  there 
to-day;  and  there  are  1500  soldiers,  and  some  hundreds  of 
mechanics,  etc.,  making,  perhaps,  11,000.  Now,  there  I 
can  have  an  audience  of  2000  hearers  almost  any  hour,  and 
they  are  anxious  hearers.  The  privates  (prisoners)  are  the 
most  hopeful.  They  press  and  pack  close  up,  and  stand 
for  more  than  an  hour,  listening,  and  weeping  often.  I 
find  many  old  acquaintances.  Dr.  McFarland's  second  son 
is  here  in  the  officers'  barracks.  Dr.  Handy,  in  the  eleventh 
month  of  his  prisonership,  is  doing  a  blessed  work.  My 
books  the  poor  fellows  almost  tear,  pulling  them  from  one 
another.  Oh,  they  are  very  hungry !  sorrow  makes  them 
ready  to  hear  the  gospel.  Many  are  sick.  .  .  A  regi- 
ment from  Steubenville,  O.,  went  down  the  same  day  with 
me.  Captain  Boals  says  he  knows  the  mayor  of  that  city, 
our  brother,  M.  O.  J.  .  .  .  I  never  had  such  a  field 
of  labor;  tell  the  people  of  Canal  Street  I  can't  refuse  to 
work  at  the  Fort;  they  must  excuse  me." 


Elder  of  Canal  Street  Church. 

47* 


558  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

In  this  manner  did  Dr.  Junkin  labor  on  until  the  sur- 
render of  General  Lee  brought  the  terrible  struggle  to  a 
close.  When  the  last  of  the  prisoners  were  permitted  to 
return  to  their  homes,  he  felt  at  liberty  to  turn  to  other 
work,  but  seemed  not  to  think  for  one  hour  of  putting  off 
his  harness ;  and  for  one  so  willing  to  toil,  employment  is 
always  ready. 

In  July,  1865,  he  went  to  meet  his  surviving  brothers  at 
the  old  family  homestead,  Hope  Mills,  in  Mercer  County. 
There  the  five  surviving  brothers  enjoyed  a  reunion  after 
years  of  separation.  William  lived  in  the  homestead,  Ben- 
jamin in  the  vicinity,  Matthew  came  from  Steubenville, 
and  the  younger  brother  from  Chicago,  where  he  then  re- 
sided as  pastor  of  the  North  Presbyterian  Church  of  that 
city.  The  meeting  actually  took  place  at  Pulaski,  on  ac- 
count of  the  detention  of  one  of  the  brothers.  Two  years 
thereafter  they  again  met  at  Steubenville,  and  enjoyed  a 
sweet  season  of  fraternal  fellowship,  and  parted,  never  all 
to  meet  again  in  this  life.  Before  another  year  two  of  them 
were  not — for  God  had  taken  them. 

In  1865,  his  work  on  Sanctification  was  written  and 
issued  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication.  It  is  a 
book  of  268  pages,  and  is  a  lucid  and  thorough  discussion 
of  the  subject  indicated  by  its  title,  explaining  the  doctrine, 
the  means,  the  agency,  and  the  process  of  sanctification, 
and  exhibiting  its  connection  with  the  other  parts  of  the 
scheme  of  salvation.  Perhaps  no  book  that  he  has  written 
is  likely  to  be  more  useful  than  this  short  but  admirable 
treatise. 

About  the  same  time,  he  published  a  brief  treatise  on 
the  subject  of  Baptism.  This  was  elicited  by  circumstances 
which  occurred  previous  to  his  taking  his  pen  ;  but,  al- 
though written  with  a  special  object,  the  tractate  is  worthy 
of  its  author  and  is  of  permanent  value. 

In  addition  to  this,  he  shortly  afterward  prepared  a  work 


THE    WIDOWS.— THE   MAGDALEN. 


559 


of  168  pages,  entitled  "THE  TABERNACLE;  or,  the 
gospel  according  to  moses,"  which  was  issued  in  1865,  by 
the  Board  of  Publication.  In  this  he  evolves,  with  admir- 
able clearness,  the  lessons  of  the  Mosaic  ritual,  and  points 
out  the  "better  things  to  come,"  of  which  that  ritual  was 
an  instructive  "shadow."  It  is  a  volume  that  ought  to  be 
in  every  Christian's,  at  least  in  every  minister's,  library. 

There  are,  in  Philadelphia,  two  charitable  institutions 
of  an  interesting  character,  humble  in  their  pretension,  but 
beneficent  in  their  design  and  influence, — the  Asylum  for 
Aged  and  Indigent  Widows,  and  the  Magdalen  Asylum,  for 
the  rescue  and  reformation  of  fallen  women.  In  both  of 
them  there  is  provision  for  religious  worship ;  but,  for 
special  reasons,  the  preaching  and  devotional  services  are 
held  on  a  week-day.  Dr.  Junkin  was  requested,  in  1864, 
to  undertake  the  work  of  ministering  in  both  of  these 
institutions.  The  appointment  came  from  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  General  Assembly,  in  pursuance  of  a  clause 
in  the  will  of  Elias  Boudinot,  LL.D.  He  consented, 
and  continued  to  perform  the  duties  of  this  humble  mis- 
sion until  the  hand  of  death  was  laid  upon  him.  Perhaps 
no  work  of  his  life  furnished  a  lovelier  illustration  of  his 
perfectly  unambitious  and  Christ-like  consecration  to  the 
business  of  saving  souls  than  this.  To  behold  this  man 
of  mighty  intellect  and  commanding  pulpit  power,  gliding 
weekly  to  these  homes  of  the  aged,  the  feeble,  and  the 
fallen,  and  preaching  to  the  inmates  in  tender,  earnest 
words,  adapted  to  their  several  conditions,  the  unsearch- 
able riches  of  Christ,  and  to  witness  the  fact  that  he 
executed  this  humble  mission  with  as  much  punctuality, 
solemnity,  and  faithfulness  as  if  it  had  been  the  gravest 
undertaking  of  his  life,  was  proof  that  he  was  largely  pos- 
sessed of  the  spirit  of  Him  who  was  "meek  and  lowly  of 
heart."  This  Christ-like  portion  of  his  labors  was  all  the 
lovelier  when  contrasted  with  other  synchronous  toils.     For 


560  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

whilst  he  was  thus  instructing  and  comforting  the  weak, 
the  world-worn,  and  the  straying,  he  was  grappling  with 
giant  strength  two  of  the  mightiest  enemies  of  religion, 
liberty,  and  social  order — Intemperance  and  the  Anti- 
Sabbath  spirit  of  the  age.  Intemperance  was  rife,  and  the 
abettors  of  the  liquor-traffic  rampant,  at  the  close  of  the 
war.  Efforts  were  being  put  forth  by  the  friends  of  tem- 
perance to  check  the  tide  of  evil,  and  Dr.  Junkin  threw 
himself  into  the  enterprise  with  all  the  fervor  and  energies 
of  his  younger  years.  In  speeches,  in  conventions,  through 
the  press,  and  by  personal  visits  to  the  Legislature,  he 
sought  to  help  forward  the  good  cause. 

About  the  same  time,  the  enemies  of  the  Lord's  day  were 
seeking  to  have  the  laws  for  the  protection  of  citizens  in 
the  enjoyment  of  that  holy  day  repealed.  The  daily  press 
was  extensively  enlisted  by  this  demoralizing  interest,  and 
a  powerful  effort  was  inaugurated  to  prostrate  the  day  of 
rest.  Against  this  Dr.  Junkin  lifted  up  a  standard.  He 
wrote  for  the  press,  he  travelled,  he  lectured,  he  corre- 
sponded, he  rallied  others  to  the  rescue,  he  wrote  a  volume 
in  defence  of  the  Sabbath,  he  repaired  to  the  Legislature, 
and  by  argument  and  personal  influence,  strove  to  protect 
the  memorial  day  from  desecration.  It  was  amazing  the 
amount  of  work  he  bestowed  upon  this  matter  in  addition 
to  his  other  labors. 

In  a  letter  to  the  author,  resident  then  in  Chicago,  dated 
Philadelphia,  March  7th,  1866,  he  says: 

"  I  have  been  very  busy  with  my  book  on  the  Hebrews  ; 
have  written  three  hundred  and  sixty  pages  of  large  letter 
sheet,  and  have  got  to  Chapter  vi.  20.  But  for  two  months 
this  has  been  arrested  by  the  Sabbath  war.  The  conspiracy 
of  the  Romanists,  the  infidel  Germans,  Jews,  Unitarians, 
Universalists,  Deists  of  all  forms,  and  the  rum  and  lager 

men,  is  very  formidable  in  numbers;  and  having for 

their  leader,  and  we  having  no  daily  press  open  to  us,  the 
battle  has  to  be  fought  at  great  disadvantage.     We  are  now 


"  SABBA  TISMOS." 


56l 


certain  of  defeating  them  this  time.  But  they  have  taken 
a  new  tack,  have  a  bill  up  in  the  House  to  authorize  a  vote 
at  the  next  general  election,  '  Sabbath  Cars'  or  '  No  Sab- 
bath Cars.'  Thus  the  law  of  God  is  to  be  submitted  to  a 
popular  vote  !  If  this  succeeds,  we  cannot  buy  votes  as 
they  can.  The  liquor  and  the  money  we  might  get,  but 
conscience  forbids  bribery.  We  have  a  sure  majority  in 
the  Senate. 

"Our  ninth  week  of  the  union  prayer-meeting  is  in  pro- 
gress. This  takes  one  to  two  hours  every  day.  I  miss 
none.  But  my  time  is  chiefly  thrown  upon  the  Sabbath 
question.  I  am  preparing  a  book  of  some  175  pages.  It 
will  be  ready  in  three  weeks,  D.  V." 

The  book  here  alluded  to  is  his  "  Sabbatismos,"  a 
volume  of  215  pages,  containing  a  succinct,  yet  original 
and  powerful  argument  for  the  Holy  Day,  which  was  pub- 
lished soon  after  the  date  of  the  above  letter.  He  not 
only  published  this  volume,  and  wrote  copiously  for  the 
weekly  press  in  behalf  of  the  Sabbath,  but  he  traversed 
many  portions  of  the  State,  delivering  sermons  and  lectures 
upon  the  subject,  and  was  instrumental  in  awaking  the 
people  to  a  consideration  of  the  importance  of  this  great 
safeguard  of  religion  and  liberty.  It  would  astonish  the 
reader  to  examine  his  register  of  preaching,  and  reckon  the 
number  of  places  visited,  and  of  discourses  delivered. 
How  he  endured  the  physical  toil  is  marvellous  ! 

Meanwhile,  the  subject  of  this  memoir  was  far  from  in- 
different to  the  political  condition  of  his  country,  for  whose 
union  and  government  he  had  sacrificed  and  toiled  so  much. 
Concerning  public  affairs  he  was  intensely  solicitous.  With 
the  murdered  President,  he  thought  that  the  seceded  States 
had  never  been  out  of  the  Union.  Like  him,  he  was  un- 
willing to  acknowledge  that  secession  had  been  a  success ; 
but  held,  with  him,  that  when  the  insurrection  was  sup- 
pressed, the  State  governments,  which  had  been  temporarily 
whelmed  beneath  its  surges,  would  rise  and  resume,  under 
proper  guarantees,  their  normal   positions  in  the  Union. 


562  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE   JUNKIN. 

He  approved  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  theory  of  restoration,  and, 
with  that  good  and  sagacious  magistrate,  was  of  opinion, 
that  the  Constitution  itself  contained  enough  recuperative 
energy,  if  rightly  applied,  to  restore  the  health  of  the 
nation.  With  every  civist  who  understands  the  principles 
of  free  government,  he  held  that  crime  was  to  be  punished 
by  adjudication,  not  by  legislation.  He  judged  that  it 
would  have  been  safer,  juster,  wiser,  and  more  in  accord- 
ance with  the  rights  of  man  and  regulated  liberty,  to  have 
arraigned  and  consigned  to  exemplary  penalties  a  few 
of  the  leaders  of  the  revolt,  rather  than,  by  a  system  of 
punitive  and  vindictive  legislation,  to  vex  and  oppress  the 
masses ;  and  he  was  especially  opposed  to  those  measures 
which  punished  the  innocent  with  the  guilty,  making  no 
distinction  between  the  intensest  secessionist  and  the 
Union  man.  He  held  that  no  man  ought  to  be  punished 
before  fair  trial  and  just  conviction ;  and  most  earnestly 
deprecated  every  expedient  which  seemed  to  dispense  with 
the  judiciary  branch  of  the  Government,  or  to  trench  upon 
its  sacred  functions.  Not  only  acquiescing  but  rejoicing 
in  the  downfall  of  slavery,  yet  he  doubted  the  wisdom 
and  humanity  of  entrusting  to  the  emancipated  the  control 
of  the  government  of  the  States  in  which  they  are  found, 
until  after  a  season  of  education  and  probation.  He  at 
one  time  was  seriously  apprehensive,  that  the  judiciary 
branch  of  the  Government  would  be  prostrated  before  the 
legislative,  and  rejoiced  greatly  when  that  danger  seemed 
to  pass.  He  doubted  the  wisdom  of  settling  great  princi- 
ples of  constitutional  law,  at  a  time  when  the  waves,  which 
had  been  lashed  into  wild  commotion  by  the  storms  of  civil 
war,  were  still  unquieted.  He  venerated  the  Constitution 
of  his  country  as  the  grandest  effort  of  human  wisdom  and 
patriotism,  and  trembled  to  see  that  stately  bark  straining 
every  timber  upon  a  stormy  sea,  whilst  unskilled  hands 
were  tampering  with  her  planks.     Many  an  utterance  of 


OPINIONS   ON  CHURCH   UNION.  563 

solicitude  could  be  quoted  from  his  correspondence  of  these 
later  years, — all  fraught  with  statesmanly  sagacity,  warm 
with  patriotism,  and  ennobled  with  that  Christ-like  magna- 
nimity which  pities  the  erring  and  esteems  it  base  to  insult 
or  oppress  the  fallen. 

In  regard  to  the  progress  of  affairs  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  he  was  also  deeply  solicitous.  His  mind  and  his 
habits  were  essentially  conservative.  With  a  heart  glowing 
with  affection,  yet  he  always  kept  his  feelings  subject  to 
his  judgment.  When  the  movement  toward  a  union  of  the 
two  branches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  proposed, 
first  at  Newark  in  a  voluntary  assemblage,  afterward  at  St. 
Louis  in  the  General  Assembly,  he  apprehended  evil,  and 
discouraged  the  movement.  He  feared  that  a  reflex  wave 
from  "the  battle  of  the  warrior"  was  about  to  submerge 
much  that  was  valuable  in  the  church.  He  feared  that  the 
cry  of  "  Union"  which  was  raised,  was  a  mere  echo  of  that 
which  was  started  by  the  voice  of  patriotic  enthusiasm. 
He  knew  that  there  was  no  analogy  between  the  union  of 
the  nation  and  the  union  of  the  church,  yet  he  feared  that 
the  civil  sentiment  had  begotten  the  ecclesiastical,  and 
that  there  was  a  disposition  to  compromise  truth  in  an 
enthusiastic  zeal  for  unity.  He  had  witnessed,  nearly  forty 
years  before,  the  turmoil  produced  by  the  effort  to  make 
those  walk  together  who  were  not  "agreed."  For  thirty 
years  he  had  seen  the  happy  results,  in  both  branches  of 
the  church,  of  separate  organization  and  action,  and  he 
feared  that  a  premature  attempt  to  unite  in  one  organization 
men  who  yet  entertained  diversity  of  doctrinal  opinions, 
would  result  in  one  of  two  evils,  either  of  which  he  deemed 
a  terrible  price  to  pay  for  visible  unity,  viz.,  a  compromise 
of  essential  truth  and  the  estoppel  of  discipline  at  the  start, 
or  a  renewal  of  the  strife  which  had  formerly  diverted  the 
energies  of  the  church  from  her  appropriate  work,  and 
which  had  been  allayed  only  by  separation. 


564  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

With  these  views,  he  could  not  favor  the  proposed  union. 
He  resisted  with  all  his  power  and  influence  the  proposi- 
tions which  were  subsequently  embodied  in  the  Albany 
basis  of  reunion,  and  advised  their  rejection.  He  still 
feared  that  latitude  of  interpretation  in  matters  essential 
might  be  claimed,  and  he  knew  that  if  claimed  and  yielded, 
corruption  of  doctrine  would  result,  and  if  resisted,  strife.* 

Since  the  union  has  been  consummated,  it  is  devoutly  to 
be  desired  that  his  apprehensions  may  prove  groundless. 
If  such  shall  be  the  result,  and  the  spirits  of  the  departed 
are  permitted  to  know  the  condition  of  the  church  militant, 
none  will  rejoice  over  that  result  more  than  the  glorified 
spirit  of  George  Junkin. 

He  did  not  live  to  witness  the  reunion,  as  his  death 
occurred  the  day  before  the  meeting  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  1868. 

Thus  did  this  man  of  thought,  of  heart,  of  prayer,  of 
wondrous  work,  labor  on  until  his  Lord  sent  suddenly  for 
him.  The  very  week  before  he  was  taken,  he  had  finished 
and  put  in  complete  order  for  the  press,  a  work  which  he 
had  been  often  urged  to  undertake, — a  Commentary  on 
the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  This  portion  of  God's  word 
had  been  a  favorite  theme  of  study  with  him,  and  a 
subject  of  frequent  pulpit  exegesis  during  all  his  life. 
Probably  no  man  of  his  generation  had  bestowed  upon 
it  more  thought  and  investigation.  The  work  is  very 
thorough  and  complete.  He  had  been  negotiating  with 
a  publisher,  and  the  manuscript  was  in  his  hands,  but  no 
definite  arrangement  had  been  effected.  He  had  con- 
tinued to  preach  until  a  few  days  before  his  decease.  On 
the  29th  of  April  he  had  preached  with  his  usual  power  and 
tenderness,  in  West  Spruce  Street,  from  that  favorite  Psalm, 
cxvi.    1-9.     He   officiated   regularly  in   the  Widows'   and 

*  See  Appendix. 


LAST  ILLNESS.  565 

the  Magdalen  Asylums.  His  last  recorded  text  of  discourse 
to  the  widows  was  John  xiv.  1,  "Let  not  your  heart  be 
troubled :  ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  me.  In 
my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions."  A  few  days  pre- 
ceding his  death  he  preached  at  the  Magdalen  Asylum, 
his  last  public  official  duty.  It  was  fitting,  that  one  so 
much  like  Jesus,  for  he  was  the  purest  man  the  writer  ever 
knew,  should  make  the  last  offer  of  the  gospel  which  he 
announced  on  earth  to  the  fallen,  bidding  them  look  up 
and  hope,  trusting  in  that  blood  which  cleanseth  from  all 
sin. 

On  the  day  of  his  departure,  and  just  about  the  time  the 
spirit  was  leaving  the  body,  the  congregation  of  aged 
widows,  in  the  asylum,  had  made  their  customary  prepara- 
tion for  divine  service,  expecting  their  venerated  and  be- 
loved pastor.  The  seats  were  arranged,  the  little  stand 
and  Bible  set  out,  the  widows  gathered,  but  he  came  not ! 
A  number  of  them  attended  his  funeral,  and  one  of  them 
said,  alluding  to  the  arrangements  they  had  made,  "  He 
never  disappointed  us  before  !" 

Dr.  Junkin  had  sometimes  expressed  to  his  brother,  and 
other  intimate  friends,  the  apprehension  that  he  would 
shrink  with  timidity  unbecoming  a  Christian  from  the  ap- 
proach of  death.  With  all  his  indomitable  courage,  he 
confessed  to  a  dread  of  the  pains  of  death.  But  the  ill- 
ness which  terminated  his  life  was  so  sudden,  painful,  and 
rapid  in  doing  its  work,  that  this  apprehension  did  not  ap- 
pear to  be  realized.  On  Monday  morning,  May  18th,  he 
arose  as  usual,  dressed  himself,  and,  entering  his  daughter's 
room,  adjacent  to  his  own,  remarked  that  he  felt  a  severe 
pain  in  his  breast,  and  asked  her  to  prepare  a  remedy, 
which  was  done.  But  the  application  gave  no  relief.  Med- 
ical aid  was  summoned  ;  the  disease  proved  to  be  angina 
pectoris.  That  day  he  seemed  to  suffer  intensely,  but  made 
no  complaint,  except  the  utterance,  "You  do  not  know 

48 


5  66  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

how  dreadfully  I  suffer."  Still,  neither  he  nor  his  children, 
who  attended  upon  him,  seemed  to  apprehend  a  fatal  issue. 

On  Tuesday,  the  19th,  he  seemed  easier,  and  less  lively, 
probably  the  effect  of  anodynes.  And  the  same  condition 
continued  till  the  afternoon  of  the  20th.  His  son,  who  was 
a  Commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly,  had  purposed  to 
set  out  for  Albany,  so  little  was  a  serious  result  appre- 
hended. Up  to  the  time  that  he  was  seized  with  this  com- 
plaint, his  health  was  good,  "his  natural  strength  seemed 
scarce  abated,"  and  the  apprehension  that  death  was  so 
near  did  not  appear  to  have  occurred  to  him.  Toward 
evening  his  extremities  became  somewhat  cold,  and,  whilst 
his  daughter  was  fetching  appliances  for  producing  warmth, 
he  grew  suddenly  worse,  attempted  to  speak,  but  effected 
no  utterance  of  a  connected  sentence.  The  only  words 
that  the  eager  ear  of  his  son  could  distinctly  catch,  were 
the  words,  "Christ,"  "The  Church,"  "Heaven;"  and 
"he  was  not,  for  God  took  him!"  It  was  scarcely  a 
struggle,  and  all  was  rest.  The  Angel  of  the  Covenant 
was  better  to  him  than  he  had  ventured  to  hope.  He  liter- 
ally fell  with  his  harness  on,  in  the  fulness  of  his  strength, 
trusting,  loving,  working  to  the  last.  So  many  of  his 
cherished  ones  were  already  in  the  house  of  many  man- 
sions, that  it  would  seem  more  like  home  to  him  than  any 
place  on  earth.  He  was  a  pilgrim  and  a  sojourner  here. 
There  he  is  at  home  ! 

The  funeral  was  attended,  on  Saturday,  May  23d,  from 
his  son's  residence,  in  Spruce  Street.  A  large  number  of 
clergymen  and  other  citizens,  Dr.  Cattell,  President  of 
Lafayette  College,  several  members  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  that  Institution,  and  many  sympathizing  friends, 
were  in  attendance,  notwithstanding  the  inclemency  of  the 
day. 

The  services  were  directed  by  the  Rev.  Wm.  P.  Breed, 
D.D.,   pastor  of   the   family,   who  delivered  an  eloquent 


FUNERAL.  567 

address  commemorative  of  Dr.  Junkin's  life,  characteristics, 
and  labors.  Dr.  J.  H.  M.  Knox  and  Rev.  John  Chambers 
also  made  earnest  and  touching  addresses,  and  the  Rev. 
Dr.  James  Clark,  long  a  co-presbyter  and  friend  of  the 
deceased,  offered,  impressively,  the  concluding  prayer. 

His  mortal  remains  rest  beneath  the  grand  old  forest 
trees  which  shadow  the  graves  in  the  beautiful  Woodland 
Cemetery,  on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill,  there  to  await 
the  resurrection  of  the  just. 

A  simple  monumental  head-  and  foot-stone,  of  massive 
marble,  marks  the  lovely  spot,  bearing  the  inscription : 

The  REV.  GEORGE  JUNKIN,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Born  November  1st,  1790. 

Died  May  20th,  1868. 

"Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant." 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

Testimonials— Of  Rev.  Charles  Elliott,  D.D.— Of  Rev.  T.  H.  Newton- 
Incidents — Characteristics — Of  Martin  L.  Stoever,  LL.D. — Of  David 
Elliott,  D.D.— Of  Rev.  R.  M.  Wallace— Of  Mr.  Fishburn— Action  of 
General  Assembly — Of  Board  of  Publication — Testimony  of  his  Brother. 

IN  response  to  a  request,  inserted  in  two  or  three  of 
our  religious  newspapers,  that  any  of  the  friends, 
acquaintances,  or  pupils  of  Dr.  George  Junkin,  who  had 
letters  or  other  documents  that  might  be  useful  in  the  pre 
paration  of  his  biography,  would  transmit  them  for  such 
use,  and  that  any  who  could  furnish  incidents  illustrative 
of  his  life  and  character  would  favor  the  writer  with  them, 
many  replies  were  made,  and  a  large  amount  of  valuable 
material  furnished.  Some  of  this  has  been  interwoven  in 
the  narrative  contained  in  preceding  chapters.  It  is  pro- 
posed in  this  to  insert  a  few  of  the  many  testimonials  which 
have  been  voluntarily  sent ;  and  it  is  only  regretted  that 
the  limits  of  the  volume  forbid  the  use  of  them   .11. 

One  of  his  pupils,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Elliott,  Profes- 
sor of  Biblical  Literature  in  the  Seminary  of  the  North- 
West,  wrote  as  follows : 

"  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the  North-West, 

"Chicago,  III.,  January  3d,  1870. 

"Rev.  D.  X.  Junkin,  D.D. 

"Rev.  and  dear  Sir, — You  kindly  asked  me  to  com- 
municate to  you  some  reminiscences  of  your  departed 
brother.  Were  I  to  relate  all  that  I  remember  of  him,  it 
would  greatly  exceed  the  brief  limits  which  a  sense  of  pro- 
priety dictates  to  me  to  observe,  and  probably  reiterate 
what  you  have  already  received  from  others  more  capable 
than  myself  of  estimating  his  exalted  character. 

(568) 


TESTIMONIAL    OF  REV.   CHARLES  ELLIOTT.      569 

"  Your  brother,  Rev.  Geo.  Junkin,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  was  a 
remarkable  man.  There  was  nothing  negative  in  his  char- 
acter ;  everything  was  decidedly  positive.  He  was  endowed 
with  a  vigorous,  discriminating  mind,  which  rendered  his 
conceptions  of  truth  clear  ;  and  possessed  of  a  strong  and 
intense  moral  nature,  which  gave  him  great  depth  of  con- 
viction and  energy  of  will. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  great  sincerity  and  transparency  of 
character.  It  was  not  necessary  to  study  him  ;  the  whole 
man  shone  out.  Everything  about  him  was  eminently  self- 
revealing.  He  was  neither  a  simulator  nor  a  dissimulator ; 
but  sincerity  embodied.  He  had  one  aim, — the  glory  of 
God, — and  his  whole  life  was  moulded  by  that  aim.  Utterly 
unselfish,  he  was  always  ready  to  sacrifice  himself  and  all 
that  he  had  for  the  cause  of  Christ  and  the  good  of  man- 
kind. 

"  As  an  educator  of  youth,  he  possessed  many  excellent 
qualifications.  Among  these  the  foremost  was  his  positive 
and  upright  character.  Next  was  his  fresh  and  original 
method  of  communicating  knowledge.  He  would  fre- 
quently strike  rich  veins  of  thought,  which  would  require 
much  labor  and  time  to  explore  and  work  out. 

"As  a  preacher,  in  some  respects,  he  had  few  equals. 
He  was  exegetical,  argumentative,  and  hortatory  in  the 
same  discourse.  He  had  great  power  over  both  the  reason 
and  the  feelings.  I  have  seen  whole  audiences  enchained 
by  the  power  of  his  logic,  and  moved  to  tears  by  his  ten- 
der appeals.  In  argument  he  struck  with  the  hammer  of 
Thor;  and  in  his  appeals  he  glowed  and  spoke  with  the  love 
of  a  seraph. 

"To  him,  under  God,  I  am  chiefly  indebted  for  what  I 
am.  His  memory  is  fragrant  to  me:  I  will  cherish  it  until 
my  latest  breath.  Had  I  the  privilege  of  placing  an  inscrip- 
tion on  his  tomb,  it  should  read  : 

To 

My  Dear  Friend, 

who,  during    many  days  of  toil  and    darkness,  held    the 

lamp  of  human  love  so  high  that  its  radiance  shed  a  glory 

on  those  days,  and  made  them  the  noontime  of  my  life. 

"Yours  very  fraternally, 

"Charles  Elliott." 
48* 


570  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Newton,  also  a  graduate  of  Lafa- 
yette College,  some  time  Seamen's  Chaplain  in  the  Island 
of  St.  Thomas,  and,  whilst  there,  an  interesting  correspond- 
ent of  The  Presbyterian,  subsequently  a  faithful  but  afflicted 
missionary  in  the  West,  sent  a  long  communication,  the 
whole  of  which,  but  for  our  limited  space,  we  would  insert. 
We  give  some  extracts  : 

"  Carlinville,  III.,  Dec.  9th,  1868. 
"To  Rev.  D.  X.  Junkin,  D.D. 

"Dear  Friend, — My  soul  looks  out  of,  and  works 
through,  a  body  so  enfeebled  by  protracted  illness  that  it 
is  out  of  my  power  to  write  all  I  would  like  to  say  con- 
cerning your  late  distinguished  brother.  But  if  a  few  notes 
can  be  of  any  service  to  you,  ....  I  shall  be  exceeding 
glad,  for  he  was  held  in  highest  estimation.  I  entered 
Lafayette  College  during  the  Presidency  of  Dr.  Yeomans, 
and  only  became  acquainted  with  your  brother  after  his  re- 
turn from  Oxford.  I  was  soon  attracted  to  him, — I  could 
scarce  tell  why ;  but  subsequent  years,  with  their  experi- 
ences, taught  me  that  my  extempore  impressions  were  well 
founded." 

After  alluding  to  some  irregularities  of  the  students  for- 
merly witnessed,  Mr.  Newton  proceeds : 

"  But  such  things  were  never  attempted  under  Dr. 
Junkin's  administration.  He  was  never  nicknamed,  and 
never  intentionally  disobeyed,  so  far  as  I  know,  and  had 
wonderful  influence  in  restraining  evil.  To  illustrate  this 
point,  take  a  well-remembered  incident.  A  charcoal-dealer 
from  New  Jersey  had,  on  one  occasion,  discharged,  for  the 
use  of  the  College,  a  load  of  coal,  and,  being  belated,  left 
his  wain  or  wagon  in  a  part  of  the  College  campus  until" 
morning.  After  he  had  gone  to  his  lodgings,  some  of  the 
students — fledgeling  lawyers,  and  embryo  divines  or  doc- 
tors— proceeded  to  disintegrate  the  wain,  and  take  it  piece- 
meal to  the  third  story  of  the  College  edifice,  and  there 
reconstruct  it  in  the  large  hall.  At  early  dawn,  next  day, 
they  were  chuckling  over  the  astonishment  of  the  teamster, 
when,  coming  with  his  horses,  he  found  that  his  wagon  had 


TESTIMONIAL    OF  REV.   T  H.  NEWTON. 


571 


been  spirited  away  without  making  any  tracks  by  which  it 
might  be  traced.  But  their  triumph  was  short.  The 
tidings  of  the  practical  joke  had  reached  the  President's 
ears.  He  made  no  demonstration  until  we  met  him  in 
prayer-hall.  He  rose  to  lead  the  worship ;  but  with  a 
countenance  awful  as  the  storm-cloud.  He  surveyed  the 
congregation  a  few  moments  in  silence ;  his  breath  and 
eye  made  the  culprits  cower,  and  subdued  all  into  solem- 
nity. After  this  searching  pause,  he  said,  '  I  understand 
some  of  you  have  been  acting  like  foots.  You  have  put  a 
poor  man  to  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  and  caused  him  to 
lose  much  time  that  was  precious  to  him.  You  have  dis- 
graced yourselves  and  the  College ;  and  I  shall  expect  you, 
immediately  after  prayers,  to  undo  what  you  have  done,  so 
far  as  you  can  ;  and  never  to  repeat  such  an  act,  or  you 
will  escape  with  far  different  consequences  to  yourselves.' 
It  was  amusing  to  see  how  the  parties  to  the  mischief  rushed 
to  the  aid  of  the  injured  coal-man,  whose  wain  was  soon 
again  dismembered,  borne  to  terra  firma,  and  reconstructed, 
so  that  he  went  on  his  way  rejoicing.   .   .    . 

"One  of  the  characteristics  of  Dr.  Junkin  which  always 
impressed  me  was  the  simple  and  firm  nature  of  his  belief. 
I  had  been  a  professor  of  religion  for  some  years,  and  had 
seen  men  of  eminent  piety,  but  there  was  something  about 
Dr.  Junkin  that  evidently  '  exceeded.'  His  belief  was  not 
something  stretching  simply  beyond,  a  projection  into  the 
penumbra  of  the  future,  and  not  adapted  to  contact  with 
mortal  and  temporal  affairs.  His  religion  was  a  system 
more  than  a  philosophy,  but  containing  a  philosophy,  and 
reaching  to  God  as  well  as  embracing  man.  His  acts  were 
regulated  by  a  delicate  and  lofty  conscientiousness,  and 
founded  on  great  principles.  He  acted  as  if  he  felt  that 
all  belonged  to  God.  He  would  descend  to  no  act  for  the 
sake  of  having  offered  to  him  the  incense  of  adulation. 
He  sought  nothing  as  a  favor  which  he  felt  entitled  to  as  a 
right,  nor  would  he  purchase  any  elevation  at  the  price  of 
promised  recompense  in  kind.  And  it  is  proper  to  add 
that  he  urged  the  same  upon  his  students.  .  .  .  He 
walked  in  a  constant  light,  which  beamed  all  around  him 
as  a  halo  from  heaven,  as  it  really  was. 

"I  may  be  permitted  to  say,  that  I  am  indebted  to  no 
person,  living  or  dead,  so  much  as  to  Dr.  Junkin,  for  a 


572  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    J  UN  KIN. 

confirmation  of  my  faith  and  the  elements  of  right  charac- 
ter. He  referred  everything  to  divine  laws  and  fixed  prin- 
ciples, beginning  with  our  being,  never  leaving  us,  insepar- 
able from  us.  He  was  in  moral  philosophy  profound  and 
exact,  simple  and  comprehensive,  ever  identifying  it  with 
Christianity  itself.  In  this  department  I  never  met  his 
equal.  Nor  is  it  disrespectful  to  the  teachers  under  whom 
I  subsequently  sat,  to  say  that  they  added  nothing  to  my 
attainments  —  his  instructions  were  exhaustive.  I  have 
always  thought  that  the  church  lost  much  by  not  placing 
him  in  one  of  our  theological  seats,  some  of  which  have 
been  occupied  by  far  inferior  men. 

"  Upon  his  students  he  ever  enjoined  usefulness  instead 
of  self-seeking.  An  incident  in  my  own  history  will  illus- 
trate this.  When  about  to  leave  the  Seminary,  I  was  trying 
to  decide  the  question  of  accepting  an  invitation  to  labor 
in  a  destitute  field  in  the  '  Pines'  of  N.  J.  I  asked  the 
counsel  of  a  professor,  who  advised  me  to  'go  a  year  and 
prepare  for  a  better  place.'  Doubting  the  propriety  of 
making  that  humble  field  a  stepping-stone,  I  wrote  for  ad- 
vice to  my  old  master,  then  at  Lexington,  Va.  I  received 
a  prompt  reply,  which  I  regret  was  lost  when  I  fled  from 
the  Rebels  of  Missouri.  I  remember  these  words,  charac- 
teristic of  their  author,  which  have  proved  the  key-note  of 
my  life  :  '  You  had  better  be  the  Oberlin  of  the  Pines  than 
the of .'* 

"  My  means  were  limited,  and  when  I  came  to  graduate  I 
had  so  many  liabilities  that  I  was  constrained  to  forego  taking 
a  diploma  until  my  arrearages  could  be  paid.  I  dreaded  the 
denouement  which  I  knew  was  inevitable  on  an  approaching 
day.  I  kept  silence,  and  nursed  my  sorrow,  but  in  cheer- 
fulness. However,  when  that  day  came,  I  took  advantage 
of  an  accidental  meeting  with  the  President,  just  at  the 
head  of  the  long  stairs  which  climb  the  Bushkill  Bluff  on 
which  the  College  stands.  '  Can  I  detain  you  a  moment, 
Doctor?'  'Yes,  sir.'  'Then  I  beg  to  say  that  the  state 
of  my  funds  is  such  that,  for  the  present,  I  cannot  take  my 
diploma:  I  must  ask  the  Trustees  to  bear  with  me  till  I  can 
liquidate  my  indebtedness.'  'Your  bills  are  all  paid,  sir; 
you  can  go  on  and  graduate. '     '  Paid,  sir !    To  whom,  then, 

*  We  omit  the  names  of  the  eminent  pastor  and  church,  for  obvious 
reasons. 


TESTIMONIAL    OF  REV.    T.  H.  NEWTON. 


573 


must  I  feel  obliged  for  this  opportune  kindness,  that  I  may 
thank  him  ?'  '  Thank  your  Saviour,  sir,'  said  he,  and  started 
on  with  his  peculiar  abruptness.  And  I  did  thank  my 
Saviour  with  tearful  eyes,  and  have  thanked  Him  ever  since; 
more  for  such  an  instructor,  however,  than  for  relief  from 
my  embarrassments.  I  never  knew  how  he  had  found  out 
my  difficulties :  I  had  no  claim  upon  him ;  it  was  his  spon- 
taneous kindness." 

Mr.  Newton  then  recites  some  incidents  illustrative  of 
Dr.  Junkin's  penetration,  parliamentary  tact  in  the  General 
Assembly,  and  his  power  in  rebuking  ambition  in  his 
brethren  ;  but  we  have  not  space  for  them.  Mr.  Newton 
further  says : 

"  He  never  forgot  his  students.  They  were  his  adopted 
children.  He  followed  each  one  to  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
if  he  went  there,  noticing  everything  they  did,  if  open  to 
observation.  '  I  was  much  interested  in  your  letters  from 
the  West  Indies,'  said  he  to  me,  on  my  return  thence.  '  I 
am  glad  you  are  back;'  and  away  he  posted  to  join  in  the 
deliberations  of  the  General  Assembly.  It  was  his  brusque 
fashion,  born  of  his  intense  thoughtfulness  and  devotion  to 
the  business  in  hand.  It  was  his  style, — as  unavoidable  in 
his  manners  as  in  his  writings  and  his  discourses.  He 
arises  to  his  theme  like  the  king  of  day,  throwing  light  on 
it  at  once,  and  burning  on  and  upward  with  an  irresistible 
power,  and  to  a  splendid  zenith.  And  he  recedes  from 
the  noon  of  his  argument  to  its  close,  scattering  light 
along  his  path  till  it  needs  no  more,  and  drops  it  easily 
into  the  bosom  of  grateful  shades,  leaving  it  where  it  is 
natural  to  rest.  He  never  is  diverted  from  his  main  point 
in  quest  of  ornaments,  but  his  inspiration  draws  them  to 
him,  just  as  orderly  as  the  genius  of  night  belts  the  sky 
with  constellations. 

"Everything  finds  its  place  in  his  well-ordered  mind. 
He  was  unconsciously  poet  and  syllogist.  If  his  premises 
glowed  with  the  blooms  of  his  rhetoric,  his  argument  was 
so  prominently  held  up  that  no  wreaths  and  posies  could 
hide  it.  He  taught  logic, — was  able  to  teach  it, — -it  was 
inseparable  from  the  constitution  of  his  mind.  Every 
proposition  inevitably  resolved   itself,  in   his   mind,  into 


574  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

major,  minor,  and  conclusion.  Hence  it  was  hard  to  de- 
ceive him,  as  he  with  magic  adroitness  laid  all  sophistry 
bare.  ...  In  logical  power  he  was,  in  my  judgment,  the 
peer  of  Calvin,  though  (and  it  is  no  disparagement)  inferior 
to  him  in  classic  grace.  In  depth  of  emotion  he  was  scarce 
inferior  to  Luther.  He  was  not  behind  Knox  in  intrepidity. 
In  zeal  for  truth  and  devotion  to  God,  he  came  behind 
none  of  these  ;  whilst  his  heart,  full  of  the  fellowship  of 
Jesus,  ever  yearned  for  the  good  of  society  and  overflowed 
with  love  to  man.  His  modesty  sometimes  bade  him  stop 
where  a  Knox  or  a  Luther  would  have  called  for  an 
advance. 

"His  love  to  God  and  to  man  was  an  overflowing  spring, 
welling  over  in  his  instructions  to  his  pupils  and  flowing 
into  his  writings.  Even  his  kingly  logic  could  never  break 
fellowship  with  sentiment.  .  .  .  But  the  strong  man 
has  run  his  race;  yet  his  strength  will  never  die,  for  his 
spirit  has  passed  into  institutions  that  can  never  perish. 

"Deeply  to  my  regret,  all  my  letters  from  Dr.  Junkin 
were  lost  during  the  rebellion,  and  I  have  but  one,  his  last. 
It  is  characteristic  of  much  that  I  have  ascribed  to  him  in 
what  I  have  said.  It  shows  the  grand  elevation  of  his 
piety,  his  patience  under  terrible  trials,  his  magnanimity  ; 
and  in  the  simple  account  he  gives  of  his  present  employ- 
ments, we  see  how  he  '  endured  hardness  as  a  good  soldier.' 

"Though  then  seventy-four  years  old,  he  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life  had  been  to  the  sea-shore,  in  quest  of 
health  !  What  a  contrast  with  the  kid-gloved  and  per- 
fumed little  effeminates,  redolent  with  musk  or  balm  of  a 
thousand  flowers,  that  sometimes  fill  our  pulpits  as  divines, 
and  who  are  yearly  habitues  of  Saratoga  and  Newport, 
or  the  heroes  of  the  more  '  ambitious  trip  to  Europe'  ! 
And  his  rest,  so  needful  and  so  grateful,  was  induced  only 
by  his  toil  in  the  self-denying  duties  of  preacher  among 
the  prisoners  of  war.  And  he  modestly  proposes  to  add 
to  these  labors  the  function  of  a  colporteur.  '  I  may  have 
to  distribute  the  tracts  and  books  myself,'  he  quietly  sug- 
gests. 

"  '  Digging  can't  degrade  me.  I  am  Gurowski,'  said  that 
famous  count.  A  noble  sentiment,  beautifully  illustrated 
in  these  humble  labors  of  your  brother. 

"Once  more:   this  letter  reveals  a  characteristic  of  Dr. 


TESTIMONIAL    OF  M.  L.  STOEVER,  LL.D.       575 

Junkin  peculiarly  lovely  and  honorable,  his  love  of  do- 
mestic life.  I  had  observed  it  long  ago,  and  remember 
that  in  all  his  moral  teachings  he  set  forth  the  family  as 
of  prime  importance.  And  his  teachings  were  embodied 
in  the  realities  of  his  own  home.  To  him  the  family  was  a 
joy  forever.  He  looked  on  it  as  the  source  of  all  good 
human  influences.  Hence  in  the  family  he  forgot  his 
severer  duties,  his  heart  was  unlocked,  his  soul  flowed  out 
in  innocent  simplicity,  its  graver  greatness  melted  and  min- 
gled with  the  gentler  impulses  of  domestic  affection.  Here 
he  filled  his  duty,  as  in  the  professor's  chair,  the  pulpit,  or 
the  arena  of  debate.  He  was  president,  professor,  preacher, 
moderator,  disputant,  friend,  brother,  father,  with  equal 
facility  and  completeness.  He  felt  that  God  had  called 
him  alike  to  each  office,  and  he  discharged  the  duty  with 
holy  fidelity. 

"  We  open  this  letter,  then,  and  find  without  surprise 
the  naive  description  it  contains  of  his  happiness  in  his 
present  domestic  relations.  He  was  happy  with  his  grand- 
children as  he  had  been  with  his  own,  suffused  with  delight 
in  the  family  of  his  son,  whose  no  small  praise  may  be  that 
he  seeks  to  conform  to  his  father's  model.  '  How  happy  I 
am,'  exclaims  he,  in  this  letter,  'and  how  grateful  I  ought 
to  be!'  Adding,  with  illustrious  modesty,  'Excuse  the 
egotism  of  an  old  man.'  And  happy  are  we  for  thee,  thou 
aged  and  wayworn  servant  of  God  !  Glad  that  thy  sun  is 
setting  amid  things  so  long  beautiful  to  thy  own  concep- 
tions, and  that  thy  heart  sings  thereat, — glad  that  it  shall 
rise  again,  and  beam  upon  thee,  amid  thy  sainted  dear 
ones,  and  in  the  presence  of  thy  God,  in  one  perpetual 
noontide  of  delight !" 

From  the  letter  of  M.  L.  Stoever,  LL.D.,  Professor  in 
Pennsylvania  College  (Lutheran),  an  extract  has  already 
been  inserted  upon  a  previous  page.  The  following  is  the 
first  part  of  the  same : 

"  George  Junkin,  Esq. 

"  I  am  gratified  to  learn  that  a  memoir  of  your  worthy 
father  is  to  be  prepared.  Such  a  volume  will  be  interest- 
ing to  his  numerous  friends,  and  a  valuable  history  of  the 
times    in  which    he    lived.       He  was    identified   with  so 


576  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

many  interests,  and  exercised  so  decided  an  influence  in 
every  sphere  in  which  he  moved,  that  his  biography  will 
necessarily  be  rich  in  incidents,  and  full  of  instruction. 

"  Dr.  Junkin  was,  in  many  respects,  a  most  remarkable 
man,  and  wherever  he  labored  he  left  the  indelible  im- 
press of  his  character.  When  a  boy  of  eight  or  ten  years 
old  I  met  him  first.  He  was  at  that  time  principal  of 
the  '  Manual  Labor  Academy,'  in  my  native  place,  and  fre- 
quently visited  my  mother's  home.  His  appearance,  his 
manner,  his  characteristic  speeches,  his  earnestness,  and 
kindness  of  heart,  are  just  as  fresh  and  vivid  before  me  as 
the  scenes  of  yesterday.  I  followed  him  with  affectionate 
interest  to  Easton,  and  thence  to  other  points  of  influence 
and  usefulness  which  he  occupied,  but  never  had  any  corre- 
spondence with  him,  and  supposed  that  I  had  been  entirely 
forgotten.  My  surprise  was,  therefore,  very  great,  more 
than  twenty  years  after  our  separation  in  Germantown,  on 
casually  meeting  him  on  Arch  Street,  to  receive  from  him 
the  cordial  recognition,  the  warm  grasp  of  the  hand,  the 
friendly  salutation  by  my  Christian  name.  To  hear  him 
recount  occurrences  of  the  past,  and  to  recall  familiar  faces, 
seemed  a  most  wonderful  exercise  of  memory.  I  did  not 
see  him  again  till  we  met  at  Gettysburg  after  the  memora- 
ble battle." 

From  the  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Al- 
toona,  the  following  was  received  : 

"Altoona,  Pa.,  May  31st,  1870. 

"Rev.  D.  X.  Junkin,  D.D. 

"  My  dear  Sir, — Understanding  that  you  are  preparing 
for  the  press  a  biography  of  your  deceased  brother,  the  late 
Dr.  George  Junkin,  and  believing  that  anything  relative  to 
that  venerated  and  excellent  man  must  possess  more  or 
less  interest  to  those  who  know  him  best,  I  send  you  the 
following,  which  you  are  at  liberty  to  use  in  any  manner 
you  think  proper: 

"In  the  year  1848,  Dr.  Junkin  was  called  from  the 
presidency  of  Lafayette  College,  Easton,  Pa.,  to  that  of 
Washington  College,  Lexington,  Va.  This  was  regarded 
as  a  sad  blow  to  the  former  college,  as  Dr.  J.  was  not  only 
its  founder  but  its  greatest  benefactor.     Indeed,  so  essen- 


TESTIMONIAL    OF  DAVID   ELLIOTT,  D.D.      577 

tial  did  his  official  connection  seem  to  the  prosperity  of 
the  college,  that  many  began  to  suppose,  when  that  con- 
nection was  once  severed,  the  institution  would  go  down, 
and  that,  consequently,  there  was  very  little  encouragement 
for  students  to  remain  there.  Accordingly,  influenced 
partly  by  this  feeling,  but  mainly,  I  think,  by  a  devoted 
attachment  to  the  retiring  President,  many  of  the  more 
advanced  students  determined  to  follow  him  to  Virginia, 
in  order  that  they  might  still  enjoy  the  privilege  of  sitting, 
as  learners,  at  his  feet,  and  of  graduating  under  him. 

"  The  names  of  my  classmates  who  went  with  me,  if  I 
remember  rightly,  are  as  follows,  viz.: — Samuel  Campbell, 
E.  D.  Finney,  John  M.  Godown,  G.  K.  Marriner,  S.  K. 
Raymond,  Robert  Watts,  John  Armstrong,  A.  M.  Lowry, 
G.  A.  Mitchell,  A.  W.  Sproull,  W.  Redfield  Sharpe. 

"  Indeed,  I  think  I  may  say,  without  the  least  color  of 
exaggeration,  that  I  never  knew  a  man  who  possessed  the 
faculty  of  attaching  students  to  himself  more  strongly  than 
Dr.  Junkin.  And  this  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  he  was 
not  only  the  student's  friend,  but,  also,  to  the  possession  of 
consummate  ability,  and  entire  disinterestedness  in  his 
aims  and  purposes,  qualities  which  never  fail  to  excite  con- 
fidence, as  well  as  to  awaken  admiration,  on  the  part  of 
others.  Taking  him  all  in  all,  Dr.  Junkin  was  certainly  a  very 
remarkable  man,  and  few  have  ever  lived  to  better  purpose 
than  he.  To  many  of  us,  who  knew  him  only  to  love  him, 
his  memory  is  precious ;  and  we  cherish  the  fond  hope  of 
seeing  his  venerable  form  again  in  heaven,  and  of  uniting 
with  him  in  celebrating  the  rich  grace  of  that  adorable 
Saviour  whom  he  loved  so  well. 

"Very  truly  and  respectfully  yours, 

"R.  M.  Wallace." 

The  venerable  Dr.  David  Elliott,  of  Alleghany,  in  a 
letter  already  quoted  in  part,  says  : 

"Of  the  time  of  my  first  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Junkin 
my  recollection  is  not  exact.  We  were  members  together 
of  the  General  Assemblies  of  1830,  1835,  1837,  and  1844. 
Of  this  last  he  was  Moderator,  and  discharged  the  duties 
with  promptness  and  ability.  In  the  discussions  of  1835 
and  1837,  on  the  great  questions  then  at  issue,  he  took  an 

49 


578  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK  IN. 

active  part,  although  not  as  often  on  the  floor  as  some 
others.  He  was  a  man  of  quick  and  strong  perceptions, 
whose  mind  took  a  vigorous  grasp  of  any  subject  presented 
to  it,  especially  if  it  was  one  which  was  debatable.  His 
convictions  in  relation  to  the  various  questions  brought 
into  controversy  during  his  public  life,  were  very  decided, 
and  he  never  left  any  one  in  doubt  as  to  what  his  opin- 
ions were.  Hence,  when  called  upon  to  defend  his  opin- 
ions, or  to  oppose  views  which  he  deemed  erroneous,  he 
did  it  '  with  his  might.'  And,  however  others  might  differ 
with  him,  they  could  not  fail  to  recognize  and  approve  the 
depth  and  sincerity  of  his  convictions.  Being  endowed 
with  a  vigorous  mind  and  warm  affections,  when  he  entered 
the  field  of  controversy,  the  ardor  which  he  evinced  made 
the  impression,  upon  those  who  did  not  know  him,  that  he 
was  under  the  influence  of  excited  temper.  The  peculiarity 
of  his  voice  doubtless  tended  to  make  this  impression,  it 
being  of  a  sharp  and  penetrating  character.  He  himself 
was  aware  of  this.  I  once  heard  him,  in  the  midst  of  an 
earnest  speech  in  the  General  Assembly,  when  his  voice  had 
reached  its  highest  tone,  stop  and  admonish  his  hearers  not 
to  attribute  the  fault  of  his  voice  to  his  temper,  assuring 
them  that  he  was  in  perfect  good  humor,  but  only  earnest 
in  his  advocacy  of  truth  in  opposition  to  that  which  he  be- 
lieved to  be  error. 

"  Persons  who  have  read  Dr.  Junkin's  publications,  need 
not  be  told  that  he  was  a  man  of  vigorous  and  brilliant  in- 
tellect. This  his  opponents  can  testify.  If  there  was  a 
weak  point  in  their  argument,  or  a  defect  in  their  logic,  he 
was  quick  to  detect  and  powerful  to  expose  it.  .  .  .  But 
his  work  for  Christ  on  earth  is  done,  and  he  has  gone  to 
occupy  '  a  place'  in  one  of  those  mansions  which  his 
Saviour  has  prepared  for  him." 

One  of  his  pupils,  a  graduate  of  Washington  College, 
and  a  gentleman  of  high  standing  in  Virginia,  in  a  letter 
of  condolence  to  a  member  of  Dr.  Junkin's  family,  says : 

"It  will  prove  an  abiding  consolation  to  you  to  know, 
that  the  long  life  which  has  just  ended,  has  been  marked 
with  everything  that  can  assure  a  believer  of  the  religion 
which  he  professed,  that   he  will  reign  glorious  among  the 


ACTION  OF   GENERAL   ASSEMBLY.  579 

master-spirits  of  heaven,  with  a  crown  brighter  than  most 
of  them,  radiant  with  stars  that  indicate  the  souls  saved  by 
his  instrumentality.  A  man  of  his  decided  character  could 
not  lead  the  life  and  do  the  work  he  did,  without  running 
counter  to  the  prejudices  and  passions  of  many  of  his 
fellows ;  but  no  such  man  has  ever  deserved  or  obtained  a 
fuller  share  of  the  respect  of  all  honest  men,  for  the  bold- 
ness and  candor  which  always  marked  his  conduct,  while 
those  who  knew  him  best  loved  him  for  all  the  qualities  in 
man  that  are  worthy  to  be  loved. 

"  There  is  no  one  man  whose  influence  on  my  mind  and 
habits  of  thought  has  been  so  much  felt,  and  to  whom  I 
owe  so  much.  I  never  heard  a  public  address  by  a  student 
under  his  tuition,  the  most  striking  parts  of  which  were 
not  traceable  to  the  impression  of  the  ideas  and  modes  of 
utterance  of  Dr.  Junkin.  But  I  need  not  be  writing  to 
you  how  highly  I  estimated  his  powers  of  mind,  and  how 
greatly  I  admired  the  goodness  and  tenderness  of  his 
heart." 

A  number  of  public  bodies  adopted  resolutions  express- 
ive of  their  estimation  of  Dr.  Junkin,  and  of  sympathy 
with  his  surviving  family.  The  General  Assembly  met  in 
Albany  the  next  day  after  his  death,  and  the  following 
paper  indicates  their  action  : 

"General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  United  States  of  America,  met  at  Albany,  New 
York,  May  27th,  1868. 

"To  George  Junkin,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  repre- 
senting the  family  of  the  late  Rev.  George  Junkin,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  the  following  minute  is  respectfully  communicated, 
adopted  unanimously  by  this  body  in  a  standing  vote  : 

"  'This  General  Assembly,  having  heard,  since  our  ses- 
sions began,  that  the  Rev.  Dr.  George  Junkin  has  departed 
from  this  life,  record  with  sadness  our  sense  of  loss  in  his 
death,  and  our  memory  of  the  long  and  signal  service  he 
has  rendered  the  church  as  a  teacher,  an  author,  a  defender 
of  the  faith,  and  an  exemplary  patriot,  in  times  of  trial 
and  perplexity,  when  the  foundations  of  order  in  the  state 
and  in  the  church  were  overturned. 


58o  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNK1N. 

11 '  The  Stated  Clerk  is  hereby  directed  to  communicate 
this  minute  to  the  family  of  the  deceased.' 

"Alexander  T.  McGill,  Stated  Clerk.'1 

The  following  minute  was  adopted  by  the  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Publication  at  its  annual  meeting,  on  Tuesday, 
June  23d,  1868 : 

"  Whereas,  The  Rev.  George  Junkin,  D.D. ,  for  many 
years  a  member  of  this  Board,  departed  this  life  on  the 
24th  ult.,  at  the  venerable  age  of  nearly  seventy-eight 
years ; 

"Resolved,  That  the  Board  hereby  records  its  sorrow  at 
the  sudden  departure  of  this  learned,  able,  and  eminent 
servant  of  God,  who,  by  his  long  and  faithful  services  in 
the  pulpit  and  in  various  literary  institutions ;  by  his  able 
and  intrepid  defence  of  the  truth  whenever  he  saw  it  ex- 
posed to  peril ;  his  valuable  contributions  to  our  theological 
literature  ;  the  purity  and  piety  of  his  life  ;  and  his  frank, 
sincere,  and  genial  character,  had  endeared  himself  greatly 
to  the  Presbyterian  Church  he  loved  so  well,  and  to  those 
who  were  associated  with  him  as  members  of  this  Board, 
the  interests  of  which  lay  near  his  heart. 

"Resolved,  That  the  Corresponding  Secretary  commu- 
nicate a  copy  of  this  minute  to  the  family  of  Dr.  Junkin, 
and  to  The  Presbyterian. 

"  A  true  copy. 

"  William  E.  Schenck,  Corresponding  Secretary.'" 

The  Trustees  of  Lafayette  College  adopted  the  paper 
which  follows : 

"The  Trustees  of  Lafayette  College  have  heard  with 
deep  sorrow  of  the  death  of  the  Rev.  George  Junkin,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  and  order  the  following  minute  to  be  entered  upon 
their  records,  expressive  of  their  sense  of  the  great  loss 
which  the  Institution  has  suffered  by  his  removal  from 
earth  to  heaven. 

"Dr.  Junkin  became  President  of  our  College  upon  its 
organization,  in  1832,  and  continued  to  administer  its 
affairs,  and  to  give  instruction  in  Mental  and  Moral  Phi- 
losophy, till  1 841,  when  he  assumed  the  Presidency  of 
Miami  University  at  Oxford,  Ohio.  In  1844  he  was  re- 
called to  the  Presidency  and  Professorship,  and  remained 


HIS  PERFECT  PURITY. 


581 


at  Easton  until  1848,  when  he  removed  to  Virginia  to  be- 
come President  of  Washington  College,  at  Lexington,  in 
that  State.  In  1864  the  Trustees  appointed  him  Emeritus 
Professor  of  Political  Philosophy,  in  which  position  he 
died,  full  of  years  and  honors,  in  May,  1868. 

"To  this  eminent  man  of  God  belongs  the  praise  of 
having  been  the  father  and  founder  of  our  College.  Its 
existence,  continuance,  and  usefulness,  under  God,  are  due 
to  the  devoted  piety,  great  learning,  rare  aptness  to  teach, 
indomitable  perseverance,  unsparing  self-denials  and  sacri- 
fices, unfaltering  faith,  and  labors  beyond  measure,  which 
characterized  his  administration  of  its  affairs ;  and  its  present 
enlarged  prosperity,  we  receive  as  the  answer  to  his  un- 
ceasing prayers  for  the  College  he  loved  as  his  life.  With 
profound  gratitude  and  ardent  love  we  cherish  his  memory 
as  the  earliest  and  most  efficient  benefactor  of  our  College, 
who  almost  literally  gave  himself  for  it ;  holding  back 
nothing  of  his  great  talents,  or  acquisitions,  or  property, 
or  toil,  or  power  with  God,  that  it  might  be  a  blessing  to  the 
church  and  the  world.  His  earthly  reward  was  to  send  forth 
from  its  halls,  men  whose  distinction  in  various  walks  of 
life — but  especially  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel — has 
shown  the  thoroughness  of  their  training,  and  given  to 
Lafayette  College  a  name  among  the  literary  institutions 
of  the  land,  in  which  we  have  a  just  pride,  and  which  we 
cannot  be  too  careful  to  maintain.  We  bless  God  for  him, 
for  what  he  was,  for  what  he  did ;  and  we  give  thanks  that, 
in  the  Divine  Goodness,  he  was  permitted  to  live  to  see 
the  College,  which  is  built  upon  him,  Jesus  Christ  Himself 
being  the  chief  corner-stone,  rising  to  the  goodly  propor- 
tions which  now  greet  our  eyes.  '  Having  served  his  genera- 
tion, by  the  will  of  God  he  fell  on  sleep.' ' 

We  refrain  from  further  quotations,  gratifying  as  it  would 
be  to  put  them  on  record,  as  spontaneous  tributes  to  the 
character  and  the  life-work  of  their  venerated  subject. 

There  was  a  characteristic  of  the  man  whose  life  is 
commemorated  upon  these  pages,  which  ought  to  be  men- 
tioned with  emphasis.  The  statement  of  it  may  worthily 
close  this  narrative.  He  was  a  man  of  the  most  per- 
fect   purity    of   mind    and    habit :    pure    in    heart,    life, 

49* 


582  LIFE    OF  DR.   GEORGE    JUNKIN. 

and  language.  The  writer  can  testify,  after  an  intimacy 
of  fifty  years,  that  Dr.  Junkin  was  the  purest  man  he  ever 
knew.  Never,  in  the  course  of  all  his  life,  and  in  the 
most  familiar  and  free  intercourse  which  brothers  could 
hold,  did  the  lips,  the  looks,  or  the  conduct  of  George 
Junkin  betray  the  remotest  approach  to  the  domain  of 
moral  impurity.  No  word  of  doubtful  modesty,  no  double- 
entendre,  no  trifling  sallies  of  wit  or  jest,  ever  gave  proof 
of  the  presence  in  his  mind  of  any  thought  inconsistent 
with  the  most  unsullied  modesty.  In  this  he  was  the  most 
remarkable  man  known  to  the  writer  of  this  book, — in  this 
the  most  like  Jesus. 

Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see 
God. 


end  of  the  memoir. 


APPENDIX. 


AS  explanatory  of  the  position  occupied  by  Dr.  Junkin 
upon  the  question  of  reunion,  we  append  the  follow- 
ing paper  found  in  his  handwriting,  which  he  presented 
in  his  Presbytery,  and  advocated,  as  the  writer  is  informed, 
with  an  eloquence  and  a  power  of  argument  worthy  of  his 
best  days.     But  the  union  spirit  prevailed  : 

"IV/iereas,  The  General  Assembly  of  1867  commended 
to  the  careful  consideration  of  the  churches  and  Presby- 
teries the  Report  on  Reunion  of  the  Old  and  New  School 
branches  (Min.,  p.  362): 

"Therefore,  As  a  partial  expression  of  our  opinions, 
be  it 

"Resolved — I.  That  the  Terms  of  said  Report,  so  far  as 
known  to  us,  are  not  satisfactory: 

"1.  In  that  the  right  and  duty  of  a  Presbytery  to  ex- 
amine each  and  every  intrant  from  another  Presbytery  or 
body  is  surrendered:  which  right  we  consider  inherent 
and  indispensable  to  the  preservation  of  the  church's 
purity. 

"2.  In  that,  by  the  eighth  term,  any  book  is  to  be  rejected 
from  our  Catalogue  against  which  three  members,  on  either 
side  of  the  Committee,  object.  Thus,  our  Digest,  Hodge 
on  Ephesians,  Hodge  on  Atonement,  in  short,  any  book, 
may  be  stricken  off  by  any  three,  on  either  side,  of  this 
Committee. 

"3.  In  that  other  property,  stereotype  plates,  vested 
funds,  of  Seminaries,  of  the  Boards,  etc.,  are  exposed  to 
imminent  peril. 

"4.  And  principally,  in  that  the  doctrinal  basis,  as  we 
understand,  reported  by  the  Joint  Committee,  is  too  vague 
and  indefinite.  The  Standards  are  to  be  received  honestly 
and  sincerely,  but  with  such  explanations  and  interpreta- 

(583) 


5§4 


APPENDIX. 


tions  as  each  subscriber  may  choose  to  put  upon  them ; 
that  is,  each  man's  own  notion  is  our  basis  of  union. 

"5.  In  that  Congregational  churches  are  to  continue 
in  full  standing,  with  right  of  representation  in  Presbytery 
and  Synod,  thus  controlling,  it  may  readily  be,  our  highest 
court,  by  electing  Commissioners  thereto. 

"Resolved — II.  That,  in  our  opinion,  the  cultivation  of 
friendly  Christian  intercourse  and  ministerial  interchanges 
between  the  two  bodies — that  is,  the  '  keeping  of  the  unity 
of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace' — is  greatly  more  im- 
portant and  conducive  to  the  practical  efficiency  of  both 
than  any  mere  external,  visible,  organic  union. 

"Ordered,  That  the  Stated  Clerk  be  directed  to  deliver 
an  attested  copy  of  this  paper  to  the  Moderator  of  the  next 
General  Assembly." 


Extract  from  Minutes  of  the  Pittsburg  Convention,  page  17. 

"It  may  be  proper  simply  to  present  an  outline  of  the 
system  : 

"  Thus — 1.  The  doctrine  of  Adam's  federal  headship,  or 
representative  character,  is  denied. 

"  2.   The  doctrine  of  original  sin  is  denied. 

"3.  The  doctrine  of  the  imputation  of  Adam's  sin  to 
his  posterity  is  denied.  The  rejection  of  these  necessarily 
leads  to — 

"  4.  A  denial  of  Christ's  federal  headship,  or  representa- 
tive character. 

"5.  A  denial  of  the  imputation  of  his  righteousness  to 
the  believer,  as  the  essential  procuring  cause  of  his  justifi- 
cation. 

"  6.  A  rejection  of  the  true,  proper,  vicarious  nature  of 
the  atonement  of  Christ."      ... 

Page  18.  "But  these  errors  do  not  terminate  in  simple 
negation.  Another  system  is  substituted  in  room  of  the  gos- 
pel thus  rejected.     It  is  the  system  of  human  perfectibility: 

"Thus — 1.  The  doctrine  of  human  ability  is  held,  in- 
volving the  principle,  and  gratuitously  assuming  it  as  true, 
that  man's  moral  obligations  are  measured  and  bounded  by 
his  present  ability  to  meet  all  the  requirements  of  God's  law. 

"  2.  Accordingly,  the  necessity  of  the  agency,  the  om- 
nipotent agency  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  the  conversion  of 


BRIEF  MEMOIRS.  585 

the  soul,  is  denied,  and  conversion  is  affirmed  to  be  the 
work  of  the  creature.  Man  regenerates  his  own  soul.  The 
Spirit's  agency  is  that  of  mere  moral  suasion.  Regenera- 
tion is  simply  an  act  of  the  mind,  the  first  in  the  series  of 
holy  acts.  Faith  is  an  act  of  the  mind,  and  nothing  but 
an  act  of  the  mind." 

This  memorial  was  signed  by  seventy-two  ministers  and 
thirty-six  elders ;  among  the  former,  we  notice  Charles  C. 
Beatty  and  George  Marshall.  It  was  referred  to  a  Com- 
mittee, of  which  Dr.  Elliott  was  Chairman. 


BRIEF  MEMOIRS. 

It  was  the  original  intention  of  the  author,  to  insert,  in 
an  Appendix  to  the  Life  of  Dr.  Junkin,  brief  sketches  of 
the  lives  of  several  of  his  contemporaries  who  were  either 
life-long  friends,  or  who  were  associated  with  him  in  some 
of  his  more  important  efforts  for  the  good  of  Zion  and 
the  world.  For  this  purpose  the  writer  collected  material 
for  such  notices  of  Drs.  McElroy,  Phillips,  Knox,  McKin- 
ney,  Elliott,  and  others.  But  the  biography  itself  has 
swelled  to  such  dimensions  as  to  render  the  execution 
of  his  plan  impracticable  ;  and  he  can  only  find  space  for 
a  tribute  to  the  memory  of  two  of  those  of  whom  he 
proposed  to  write.  To  this  necessity  he  more  cheerfully 
yields  because,  in  the  "  memorial  volume,"  he  has  been  an- 
ticipated in  regard  to  some  of  these  distinguished  brethren, 
and  because  some  of  them  still  survive. 

The  beloved  brethren  whose  lives  are  briefly  sketched  in 
the  following  pages  are  selected  as  subjects  of  memoir — 
1.  Because  no  other  writer  has  paid  a  permanent  tribute 
to  their  memory ;  2.  Because  their  names  are  fragrant 
with  godly  graces  and  holy  works ;  and  3.  Because,  when 
the  writer  was  a  student  and  in  his  early  ministry,  these 
men  of  God  took  him  by  the  hand  and  "showed  him  no 
little  kindness;"  and  he  seeks  expression  for  gratitude,  a 
sentiment  that,  in  his  heart,  never  dies. 


586  APPENDIX. 


THE  REV.  WILLIAM  LATTA  McCALLA 

Was  born  on  the  25th  of  November,  1788,  in  Jessamine 
County,  Kentucky.  His  father  was  Dr.  Andrew  McCalla, 
of  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania,  who,  with  his  father,  Cap- 
tain Wm.  McCalla,  participated  in  the  War  of  Independence. 
Dr.  McCalla  was  a  surgeon  in  the  service.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  Dr.  McCalla  removed  to  Kentucky,  and  settled  at 
Lexington,  then  the  principal  town  in  the  State.  The 
paternal  relatives  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir  were  all 
Presbyterians,  among  whom  were  the  Rev.  Wm.  Latta  of 
the  Revolutionary  era,  and  his  five  sons,  all  of  them  eminent 
ministers  of  the  gospel.  The  maternal  ancestry  were  of 
the  excellent  but  exiled  Huguenots ;  a  descent  of  which 
Mr.  McCalla  was  justly  proud — in  the  religious  sense. 

In  1 813  Mr.  McCalla  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  A., 
daughter  of  General  Samuel  Finley,  of  Chillicothe,  who 
still  lives.  In  181 1  he  began  the  study  of  theology,  under 
the  direction  of  the  Presbytery  of  West  Lexington ;  and 
he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  Chillicothe, 
into  whose  bounds  he  had  removed  after  his  marriage. 

He  spent  the  early  years  of  his  ministry  in  Ohio  and 
Kentucky;  but  the  details  of  his  labors,  and  the  several 
fields  which  he  occupied,  the  writer  has  not  been  able  to 
ascertain.  It  is  well  known  that  from  the  first  he  was  a 
man  of  mark  as  regards  vigor  of  mind,  dignity  of  presence, 
impressiveness  of  style,  and  the  eloquence  of  solemn,  earnest 
simplicity.  At  the  close  of  the  War  of  1812-1815  General 
Jackson  was  made  commandant  of  the  Southern  Depart- 
ment of  the  United  States  army,  and  soon  thereafter  Mr. 
McCalla  was  appointed  chaplain  under  him  ;  and  he  proved 
himself  a  faithful,  eloquent,  and  effective  preacher  in  this 
field  of  labor. 

He  was  settled  as  pastor  of  the  church  of  Augusta,  Ken- 
tucky, in  1 8 19,  where  he  labored  for  some  years. 

Whilst  Mr.  McCalla  was  one  of  the  simplest,  most 
lucid,  earnest,  discriminating,  powerful,  and  affectionate 
preachers  of  the  gospel,  in  its  didactic  and  hortatory  forms, 
to  whom  the  writer  has  ever  listened,  he  excelled  in  the 
polemic  defence  of  its  precious  truths.  He  was  a  great 
controversialist.  That  great  orator,  Henry  Clay,  of  Ken- 
tucky, pronounced  him  the  best  debater  of  his  times.    The 


BRIEF  MEMOIRS.  587 

rife  and  rabid  heresies  that  early  sprang  up  in  the  West, 
called  for  a  man  of  Mr.  McCalla's  power  to  stand  in  the 
breach  and  defend  the  truth,  and  he  was  ever  ready  to  do  it. 

Shortly  after  his  settlement  in  Augusta,  having  expounded 
the  account  of  our  Lord's  baptism  in  Matt,  iii.,  he  was 
replied  to  by  a  Mr.  Vaughn,  of  the  Baptist  Church  ;  and 
this  led  to  some  discussion,  in  which  public  opinion  did  not 
accord  the  victory  to  Mr.  V.  Worsted  in  this  encounter, 
the  Baptists  made  arrangements  to  have  the  celebrated 
champion  of  immersion,  Alexander  Campbell,  brought  on 
to  debate  with  Mr.  McCalla.  After  some  six  months'  cor- 
respondence, the  debate  was  held,  and  lasted  for  seven  days. 
Mr.  Campbell  and  his  friends,  as  usual,  claimed  the  victory, 
but  the  great  mass  of  hearers  accorded  it  to  Mr.  McCalla. 

In  the  year  1824  Mr.  McCalla  was  a  Commissioner  to 
the  General  Assembly,  which  met  in  Philadelphia,  and 
whilst  there  made  a  decided  impression,  both  upon  the 
Assembly  and  the  community,  by  his  fine  appearance,  his 
terse  and  vigorous  elocution,  his  attractiveness  as  a  preacher, 
and  his  power  els  a  debater. 

He  still  wore  the  costume  of  the  chaplains  of  the  army ; 
and  his  tall  and  perfectly  erect  form,  his  fine  proportions, 
his  well-formed  head,  dark-gray  eye,  jet-black  hair  combed 
back  from  his  brow,  and  his  grave  and  handsome  features 
made  a  strong  impression  upon  every  beholder. 

After  the  rising,  of  the  Assembly  he  engaged  in  a  debate 
with  the  notorious  Abner  Kneeland,  who  had  been  holding 
his  infidel  meetings,  and  challenging  everybody  to  dispute 
with  him,  in  Philadelphia.  So  crushing  was  the  defeat  of 
this  unbeliever  by  Mr.  McCalla,  that  Kneeland  was  forced 
by  public  sentiment  to  leave  the  city. 

This  and  his  fine  pulpit  powers  drew  general  attention 
to  Mr.  McCalla,  and  the  Eighth  Presbyterian  Church  (the 
Scots  Church),  in  Spruce  Street  near  Third,  which  happened 
then  to  be  vacant,  extended  a  call  to  him,  and  he  shortly 
afterwards  commenced  pastoral  labors  in  that  congregation. 
This  church  was  originally  in  connection  with  the  Associate 
Reformed  body,  and  was  the  one  in  which  Mrs.  Junkin 
had  been  brought  up,  and  in  which  her  father  was  a  leading 
ruling  elder.  It  had  been  served  by  such  men  as  Dr. 
James  Gray  and  Dr.  Robert  McCartee,  but  was  much  run 
down  at  the  time  Mr.  McCalla  assumed  charge.     Under 


5  88  APPENDIX. 

his  ministry  it  soon  revived,  and  became  a  strong  congre- 
gation. His  pastorate  there  was  very  successful.  The 
writer  of  this  sketch,  when  a  licentiate,  sometimes  preached 
for  him,  and  the  house  was  crowded  both  below  and  in  the 
galleries.  Mr.  Henry  McKeen  informs  us,  that  soon  after 
Mr.  McCalla's  advent  he  united  with  the  church  along 
with  forty-seven  others ;  and  large  accessions  were  frequent 
during  his  ministry.  He  had  round  him  in  the  eldership 
such  men  as  Joseph  P.  Engles,  Alexander  Symington,  and 
Henry  McKeen. 

Mr.  McCalla  soon  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  general 
affairs  of  the  church  in  Philadelphia.  When  Mr.  Barnes 
was  called  to  the  First  Church,  in  1829,  Mr.  McCalla  was 
one  of  those  who,  with  the  venerable  Dr.  Green,  opposed 
his  reception  and  induction,  on  the  ground  of  doctrinal 
errors  contained  in  the  sermon  called  "  The  Way  of  Salva- 
tion." And  throughout  the  entire  controversy  beginning 
with  that  event,  Mr.  McCalla  was  a  prominent  and  efficient 
actor.  The  part  he  bore  in  that  protracted  struggle,  which 
ended  with  the  disruption  of  1838,  has  been  mentioned  in 
the  body  of  this  work,  and  need  not  be  repeated.  In  the 
Presbytery,  the  Synod,  and  the  General  Assembly,  he  was 
a  man  of  great  power  in  debate.  In  1830  he  published  "A 
Correct  Narrative"  of  these  proceedings,  in  a  pamphlet 
of  forty  pages,  in  reply  to  an  erroneous  statement  previously 
published. 

As  a  debater  he  was  calm,  wary,  far-seeing,  logical, 
and  especially  illustrative.  His  power  in  pointing  an  argu- 
ment with  an  illustrative  anecdote,  and  in  making  it  sting 
with  sarcasm,  was  wonderful ;  but  he  never  used  the  latter 
except  in  retort.  Rarely  was  he  the  aggressor  in  this  sort 
of  weapon  ;  but  woe  to  the  adversary  that  threw  stones  at 
him ;  he  hurled  them  back  with  tenfold  momentum.  There 
was  a  calmness  in  his  manner,  a  smoothness  in  his  tones, 
and  an  imperturbability  of  temper  which  made  him  all  the 
more  formidable  as  an  antagonist.  When  his  adversary 
would  be  boiling,  McCalla  would  be  cool  as  an  evening 
zephyr.  It  was  this  characteristic  that  drew  from  the 
venerable  Dr.  Miller,  on  one  occasion,  after  listening  to  a 
speech  from  Mr.  McCalla  in  the  General  Assembly,  the 
remark,  "Mr.  McCalla's  speech  was  as  smooth  as  oil,  but 
verily,  Mr.  Moderator,  it  was  the  oil  of  vitriol."     But  this 


BRIEF  MEMOIRS. 


589 


characteristic  was  observable  only  when  some  unfairness  or 
lack  of  Christian  magnanimity  was  shown  by  his  opponents. 
It  cannot  be  denied  that  this  occasional  severity  in  de- 
bate roused  a  feeling  of  personal  opposition  to  him  with 
some  of  his  brethren  of  the  New  School,  whilst  it  was 
also  regretted  by  some  of  those  who  acted  with  him. 
Keenly  sensitive  to  censure,  when  he  thought  it  undeserved, 
and  that  it  had  been  incurred  when  he  was  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duty,  he  was  sometimes  chafed  by  it.  And  it  cannot 
be  denied  that,  on  some  occasions,  his  brethren  who  acted 
with  him,  and  who  rejoiced  in  the  power  with  which  he 
defended  their  cause,  failed  to  sustain  him  as  they  might . 
have  justly  done  against  the  charges  of  undue  zeal  and 
severity  brought  by  his  antagonists. 

In  1831  Mr.  McCalla,  by  invitation  of  some  ministers 
of  New  Jersey,  consented  to  meet  a  Rev.  Wm.  Lane,  an 
Arian  Baptist,  in  a  debate  upon  the  subject  of  the  Deity  of 
Christ.  The  debate  was  held  in  Milford,  New  Jersey,  and 
the  Arian  proved  a  pigmy  in  the  hands  of  a  giant. 

After  serving  the  Scots  Church  with  great  acceptance 
for  ten  years,  he  was  induced  by  some  of  his  brethren  to 
go  out  as  a  lecturer  against  Romanism.  In  the  years  1833-4 
the  lovely  and  gifted  Dr.  John  Breckenridge  had  engaged 
in  a  controversy  with  the  Rev.  John  Hughes,  a  Catholic 
priest,  then  of  Philadelphia,  afterwards  Archbishop  of  New 
York.  The  controversy  was  long  continued  in  the  news- 
papers, and  subsequently  renewed  in  an  oral  form  in  a 
debating-society  of  the  young  men  of  Philadelphia.  Some 
of  the  Catholic  young  men  had  brought  in  Mr.  Hughes, 
and  some  of  the  Protestants  invited  Mr.  Breckenridge. 
The  latter  being  constrained  to  go  to  the  West  on  public 
duty  before  the  debate  closed,  Mr.  McCalla  was  asked  to 
take  his  place.  This  he  did  ;  and  so  effectually  did  he  over- 
whelm the  arguments  of  the  adroit  priest,  that  many  who 
were  zealous  for  the  arrest  of  papal  encroachments  joined 
in  urging  Mr.  McCalla  to  go  forth  as  a  champion  of  the 
Protestant  cause.  A  fund  was  raised  ;  he  accepted  the  mis- 
sion, and  labored  effectively  for  a  time  in  the  United  States 
and  Canada ;  but  the  zeal  of  those  who  sent  him  forth  did 
not  last,  or  at  least  was  not  effective  in  supplying  necessary 
pecuniary  aid,  and  he  had  to  leave  this  field. 

He  took  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Fourth  Presbyterian 
5° 


59° 


APPENDIX. 


Church,  Philadelphia,  where  he  labored  for  some  time  with 
great  acceptance  and  usefulness.  A  large  portion  of  the 
Scots  Church  congregation,  as  a  surviving  officer  of  it 
informs  the  writer,  left  it  and  went  to  the  Fourth  Church, 
from  their  attachment  to  Mr.  McCalla's  person  and  minis- 
try. The  dates  of  his  installation  and  of  his  resignation 
we  could  not  ascertain. 

Some  time  about  1842  he  inaugurated  a  service  for  the 
French  people,  who,  in  considerable  numbers,  were  scat- 
tered about  Philadelphia  as  sheep  without  a  shepherd. 
He  gathered  a  congregation  of  them,  preached  to  them  in 
their  own  language,  and  even  collected  and  published  for 
their  use  a  small  collection  of  psalms  and  hymns  in  French. 
But  he  found  too  much  indifference  among  the  churches  to 
sustain  the  enterprise. 

In  1840-41  he  performed  an  extensive  tour  of  observa- 
tion and  missionary  labor  in  Texas,  and,  after  his  return, 
published  a  book  descriptive  of  his  journey  and  his  obser- 
vations. The  volume  is  fraught  with  stirring  incident 
and  pithy  sentiment,  and  breathes  throughout  a  spirit  of 
piety. 

He  was  for  two  terms,  about  this  period  of  his  life,  min- 
ister of  the  church  of  Bedford,  Pennsylvania,  at  which 
place  his  widow  still  resides.  But  whether  his  tour  in 
Texas  was  performed  before,  after,  or  during  his  ministry 
at  Bedford,  the  writer  of  this  memoir  has  not  been  able  to 
ascertain. 

In  1850  he  became  the  pastor  of  the  Union  Presbyterian 
Church,  Philadelphia,  where  he  continued  to  labor  until 
May,  1854,  when  he  resigned  his  pastoral  charge,  with  a 
view  of  entering  another  field  of  labor  at  St.  Louis, 
Missouri. 

At  the  time  of  his  retiring  from  the  pastorate  of  this 
church,  the  congregation,  in  a  minute  assenting,  at  his 
urgent  request,  to  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  relation, 
expressed  themselves  as  follows  : 

11  Resolved,  That  we  express  our  regret  that  circum- 
stances have  been  such  as  to  lead  our  beloved  pastor  to 
this  view  of  his  duty ;   therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  our  confidence  in  him  is  unabated,  as 
a  sound  and  able  divine,  and  as  a  faithful  and  laborious 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ.   His  labors  among  us  have  awakened 


BRIEF  MEMOIRS. 


591 


feelings  of  most  sincere  affection  and  respect,  and  we  can- 
not part  with  him  without  offering  grateful  testimony  to  his 
usefulness  among  us,  and  we  do  most  earnestly  pray  that, 
wherever  he  may  go,  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  may 
accompany  him." 

In  dissolving  the  pastoral  relation  at  his  request,  the 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  with  which  he  had  now  been 
connected  for  thirty  years,  adopted  a  minute  declaring  that 
they  "  notice  with  pleasure  the  feeling  of  mutual  regard 
between  the  pastor  and  the  people,  and  express  their  deep 
interest  in  Mr.  McCalla  as  a  minister  of  Christ,  with  whom 
they  have  been  long  acquainted,  and  who  has,  on  several 
occasions,  and  with  distinguished  ability,  done  substantial 
and  lasting  service  to  the  blessed  cause  to  which  he  has 
consecrated  his  life.  Presbytery  do  also  express  their  sin- 
cere affection  for  Mr.  McCalla,  on  account  of  his  many 
private  and  social  virtues,  and  do  assure  him  of  their  best 
wishes  and  earnest  prayers  for  his  usefulness  and  success  in 
the  field  of  his  future  labors." 

It  was  whilst  pastor  of  this  church  that  he  held  the  cele- 
brated debate  with  the  infidel,  Joseph  Barker. 

Of  his  labors  and  their  results  in  St.  Louis,  we  have  not 
been  able  to  obtain  specific  information.  But,  from  what 
we  know  of  his  ability,  his  devout  godliness,  his  eloquence 
and  zeal,  we  cannot  doubt  that  there,  as  in  other  fields,  the 
Lord  gave  him  many  seals  of  his  ministry.  One  incident, 
illustrative  of  the  zeal  and  the  unquailing  courage  of  the 
man,  has  come  to  our  knowledge. 

The  lawless  and  daring  character  of  the  boatmen  and 
other  habitues  of  the  wharves  of  St.  Louis,  especially  when 
idle  and  intoxicated,  is  proverbial.  Mr.  McCalla  thought 
they  formed  a  class  of  as  unhappy  outcasts  as  ancient  or 
modern  society  could  show,  and  one  for  whose  souls  no 
one  seemed  to  care.  The  sight  of  them  melted  his  heart, 
and  he  resolved  to  make  an  effort  in  their  behalf,  and  on 
the  next  Sabbath  to  inaugurate  his  missionary  enterprise. 
Some  of  his  pious  friends  agreed  to  accompany  him,  while 
others  strongly  dissuaded  him.  Finally  all  drew  back,  but 
he  persisted.  Even  the  police  of  the  district  warned  him 
that  his  life  would  be  in  danger,  and  that  they  would  not 
be  able  to  protect  him.  He  told  them  he  asked  no  such 
protection.      Accordingly,   he  went    to    the  wharves   (or 


592 


APPENDIX. 


levee,  as  it  is  called),  quite  unarmed,  and,  mounting  an 
empty  box,  in  the  presence  of  a  few  loiterers,  began,  in 
his  clear,  sonorous  voice,  to  sing  the  appropriate  hymn  : 

"  I'm  not  ashamed  to  own  my  Lord, 
Nor  to  defend  His  cause." 

The  first  tones  of  his  voice  brought  out,  from  the  dens 
of  the  vicinity,  many  of  the  class  of  whom  he  had  been 
warned, .  gathering  in  a  disorderly  manner  around  him. 
And  now  began  an  exhibition  upon  which  angels  doubtless 
looked  with  interest.  This  faithful  servant  of  Christ 
preached  the  precious  gospel  in  this  very  seat  of  Satan. 
The  result  justified  his  expectations.  Some  threatened, 
others  applauded,  but  finally  order  reigned,  and  he  poured 
tenderly  and  faithfully  into  their  ears  the  long -delayed 
news  of  salvation.  When  he  was  about  to  retire,  a  sturdy 
and  formidable  "bully"  came  up  to  him,  laid  his  hand  on 
Mr.  McCalla's  arm,  thanked  him  for  coming,  invited  him 
to  come  again,  and  pledged  protection. 

His  last  years  were  spent  in  affectionate  and  self-denying 
labors  among  the  slaves  of  the  South,  to  whom,  as  well  as 
to  their  educated  and  refined  masters,  he  was  an  acceptable 
preacher.  Here,  as  everywhere,  he  was  faithful  to  his 
Master,  to  the  truth,  and  to  souls ;  and  we  cannot  doubt 
that  he  is  now  surrounded,  in  the  land  of  glory,  by  many, 
both  of  the  lowly  and  the  high-born,  the  poor  and  the 
polished,  who,  in  the  various  fields  of  his  labor,  were  won 
to  Christ,  and  who  now  call  him  blessed. 

Mr.  McCalladied  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Ogden,  in  Madison 
County,  Louisiana,  on  the  12th  of  October,  1859,  having 
nearly  completed  his  seventy-first  year.  The  disease  which 
cut  him  down  was  congestive  chills,  peculiar  to  that  climate. 
His  family  were  absent  in  Missouri  on  a  visit  at  the  time 
of  his  death. 

Mr.  McCalla,  though  a  man  of  wondrous  work,  was  a 
constant  and  systematic  student.  He  was  extensively  read 
in  all  useful  knowledge,  and  had  marvellous  command  of 
his  knowledge  for  useful  ends.  He  was  master  of  Hebrew, 
Greek,  Latin,  and  Syriac,  and  was  able  to  use  with  ease 
French,  Spanish,  and  German.  He  was  mighty  in  the 
Scriptures,  and  in  most  departments  of  the  lore  necessary 
to  their  illustration.     As  a  preacher  of  the  gospel,  he  had 


BRIEF  MEMOIRS. 


593 


few  equals  in  his  generation.  He  was,  in  the  judgment  of 
the  writer,  one  of  the  most  perfect  verbal  critics  in  ex- 
tempore speech.  The  right  word — the  only  word  of  the 
language  that  perfectly  fitted  the  place — was  always  at 
command.  His  style  was  clear,  simple,  vigorous,  flowing, 
his  form  tall,  erect,  commanding,  his  manner  solemn, 
earnest,  impressive,  and  often  very  tender  and  affectionate. 
He  possessed  an  exhaustless  fund  of  apposite  anecdote, 
which  always  told.  And  his  deep,  reverential,  and  tender 
piety,  which  none  who  knew  the  man  could  help  but  feel, 
gave  unction  to  his  utterances.     He  was  a  great  preacher. 

As  a  debater  he  was  unexcelled.  We  will  not  add  to 
what  has  been  written  on  this  subject,  except  to  say,  that 
while  remarkable  in  strength  of  argument,  force  of  illus- 
tration, and  power  of  exposing  the  weak  points  of  an 
adversary,  no  man  excelled  him  in  the  terrors  of  retort. 
In  this  he  was  never  ill  natured,  but  always  to  be  dreaded. 
His  wit  was  genuine,  keen,  and  abundant,  perhaps  to  a 
fault,  and  sometimes  irresistible  in  the  grotesqueness  of  its 
gravity.  He  rarely  smiled,  even  when  others  were  con- 
vulsed. To  give  a  single  specimen.  When  a  distinguished 
preacher  had  delivered  before  the  Synod  a  great  sermon 
on  literalism  and  the  premillennial  advent,  and  the  ques- 
tion of  publishing  it  by  the  Synod  was  under  discussion, 
Mr.  McCalla  rose,  and,  with  the  imperturbable  solemnity 
of  manner  which  never  left  him,  said,  "  Mr.  Moderator,  if 
we  are  to  be  held  to  the  literal  interpretation  of  Scripture, 
that  woman  to  whom  the  preacher  alluded,  '  who  sitteth 
upon  seven  mountains,'  must  have  vast  sitting  capacity." 
It  was  all  he  said  ;  but  it  ended  the  discussion  in  a  storm 
of  merriment. 

Mr.  McCalla  was  a  great  man.  To  quote  the  language 
of  Dr.  James  Clark,  uttered  but  an  hour  before  this  line 
was  traced:  "Ordinarily,  and  when  not  excited  by  any 
special  impulse,  he  was  great;  but  when  roused,  he  was  a 
giant  in  intellectual  strength."  And  the  conviction  that 
God's  precious  truth  was  in  danger  was  enough  to  rouse, 
at  any  time,  all  the  Hercules  within  him.  And  yet  this 
man  of  mighty  power  was  gentle  as  a  woman,  and  tender 
as  Mercy's  self  in  all  the  duties  and  the  intercourse  of 
private  and  pastoral  life.  Like  most  men  of  pronounced 
opinions  and  uncompromising  integrity,  he  was  often  mis- 

5°* 


594 


APPENDIX. 


understood  and  often  misrepresented ;  and  it  is  perhaps 
true  that  he  was  sometimes  too  unyielding  where  the  prin- 
ciples involved  were  not  essential ;  but  even  then  he  was 
conscientious.  He  did  a  great  work  for  Christ  and  his 
church,  and  we  are  sure  that  his  reward,  through  grace,  is 
proportionately  great. 


REV.  ROBERT  STEEL,  D.D. 

This  excellent  and  beloved  minister  of  Christ  was  a 
native  of  Ireland.  He  was  descended  from  that  vigorous, 
godly,  and  liberty-loving  race,  the  Scotch-Irish ;  a  race 
that  for  more  than  two  centuries  has  constituted  a  very  im- 
portant portion  of  the  population  of  that  island,  and  which 
has  given  to  America  a  large  number  of  her  most  valuable 
citizens.  He  was  born  of  highly  respectable  and  pious 
parents,  near  the  city  of  Londonderry;  a  city  memorable 
in  the  history  of  the  struggle  for  Protestant  supremacy 
and  the  liberties  of  the  British  empire.  The  year  of  his 
birth  was  1794;  but  the  day  we  have  not  been  able  to 
ascertain. 

Mr.  Steel  pursued  his  English  and,  to  some  extent,  his 
classical  studies  in  his  native  land.  His  first  classical 
teacher  was  a  Mr.  Culbertson,  who  was  a  graduate  of  the 
University  of  Glasgow,  and  a  student  of  theology,  who 
had  opened  a  school  not  very  distant  from  the  residence 
of  Mr.  Steel's  parents.  It  was  the  wish  of  his  parents 
that  he  might  be  led  to  enter  the  ministry,  and  with  this 
view  they  sent  him  to  study  under  Mr.  Culbertson. 

The  following  record  occurs  in  a  journal  kept  at  the 
time,  and  found  among  his  papers,  and  indicates  that  his 
mind  had  already  been  turned  toward  the  holy  office : 

"I  distinctly  remember  that,  before  reaching  Mr.  Cul- 
bertson's  residence,  I  was  impressed  with  the  importance 
of  the  step  I  was  about  to  take ;  as  I  was  aware  that  my 
parents  hoped  that  I  might  be  led  to  preach  the  gospel.  I 
paused,  and  went  behind  a  hawthorn  hedge,  and  prayed  to 
God  to  guide  me,  and  enable  me  so  to  study  and  so  to 
act  that  I  might  be  counted  worthy  to  be  put  into  the 
ministry." 


BRIEF  MEMOIRS. 


595 


An  elder  brother,  the  late  John  Steel,  Esq.,  had  emi- 
grated to  America  some  years  before  this,  and  was  in  a 
prosperous  mercantile  business  in  Philadelphia.  Mr.  John 
Steel  was  a  man  of  great  moral  excellence,  probity,  and 
generosity  of  character.  He  sent  a  pressing  invitation  to 
Robert  to  come  to  America  and  pursue  his  studies  in  this 
country.  The  invitation,  with  the  consent  of  his  parents, 
was  accepted;  and  in  1811,  in  his  seventeenth  year,  the 
younger  brother  came  to  Philadelphia,  became  a  member 
of  his  brother's  family,  and  continued  under  his  care  until 
his  education  was  completed. 

After  arriving  in  America,  Mr.  Steel  spent  one  year  in 
"Gray  and  Wylie's  Academy,"  then  kept  in  Locust  Street. 
In  181 2  he  entered  the  college  at  Princeton,  and  remained 
in  that  institution  until  he  graduated,  which  was  probably 
in  1 81 5  ;  for  he  entered  the  Seminary  of  Dr.  Mason,  in 
New  York,  to  prosecute  his  theological  studies,  in  1816. 

There  he  and  Dr.  Junkin  became  acquainted  ;  and  a 
friendship  was  formed  which  endured  through  life.  Their 
correspondence  was  frequent  and  voluminous,  as  letters 
still  on  file  attest.  And,  as  has  been  mentioned  in  the 
body  of  this  work,  Mr.  Steel  had  more  agency  than  any 
other  individual  in  bringing  Dr.  Junkin  into  the  field  of 
his  chief  life-work, — education. 

Mr.  Steel  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  in  April, 
1818,  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  York,  and  whilst  still  at- 
tending upon  the  instructions  of  Dr.  Mason,  was  for  some 
time  employed  by  the  Young  Men's  Missionary  Society  of 
that  city.  This  engagement  appears  to  have  continued 
for  a  season  after  he  left  the  Seminary.  When  it  ceased, 
he  came  to  Philadelphia,  and  labored  for  a  time  in  a  city 
mission. 

He  was  then  for  a  short  time  employed  by  a  female 
Missionary  Society  to  labor  in  Moyamensing,  in  which 
service  he  continued  until  called  to  Abington.  In  this 
ancient  congregation,  which  in  earlier  times  had  enjoyed 
the  labors  of  such  men  as  the  Treats  and  the  Tennents, 
Mr.  Steel  was  ordained  and  installed  in  November,  1819, 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia. 

This  was  his  first  and  his  only  pastoral  charge.  There 
he  labored  faithfully  and  successfully  for  about  forty-three 
years,  until   1862,  when    his  Master  came,  released  him 


596  APPENDIX. 

from  his  earthly  cares  and  labors,  and  took  him  to  a  higher 
service  above. 

During  all  these  years  of  constant  toil  in  the  vineyard, 
Mr.  Steel  was  seldom  or  never  interrupted  by  bodily  sick- 
ness. He  possessed  a  remarkably  vigorous  constitution, 
and  could  endure  an  amazing  amount  of  labor. 

A  little  below  the  medium  height,  robustly  built,  closely 
and  firmly  knit,  of  florid  complexion  and  sanguine  tem- 
perament, he  was  the  very  embodiment  of  vigorous  activity. 
Possessed  of  a  strong  and  well-balanced  mind,  great  warmth 
and  geniality  of  affection,  and  a  cheerfulness  of  heart  that 
seemed  rarely  interrupted,  he  was  a  most  agreeable  com- 
panion and  loving  pastor.  His  manner  in  the  pulpit, 
the  prayer-meeting,  and  the  family  visit  was  ardent, 
earnest,  tender,  often  tearful.  His  mind  was  not  marked 
by  any  extraordinary  vigor,  grasp,  or  originality,  but  he 
was  a  clear,  sound,  effective  thinker ;  and  as  his  great  and 
life-long  aim  was  to  "  know  nothing  among  his  people  save 
Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified,"  he  was  better  than  a 
great  preacher — he  was  an  earnest,  instructive,  effective, 
useful  one.  And  the  fact  that  he  served  an  intelligent 
people  for  forty-three  years,  and  that  he  interested  them 
as  much  in  his  last  years  as  in  his  first,  is  a  eulogy  that  can 
be  pronounced  over  few. 

During  part  of  his  ministry  he  added  to  his  pastoral 
toils  the  superintendence  of  a  seminary  for  the  instruction 
of  youth.  His  first  school  was  a  classical  and  mercantile 
school  for  boys  and  young  men.  Afterward  he  super- 
intended the  Abington  Female  Seminary  for  some  years; 
and  in  both  he  and  his  family,  and  the  teachers  under 
his  control,  contributed  largely  to  the  interests  of  higher 
education.  By  this  instrumentality  he  was  the  means  of 
bringing  into  the  ministry  some  very  valuable  men.  The 
Rev.  Alfred  Ryors,  D.D.,  President  of  Indiana  University, 
the  Rev.  George  D.  Stewart,  and  the  Rev.  Joseph  Stevens, 
may  be  named  among  the  number. 

In  the  agitations  that  resulted  in  the  disruption  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  Dr.  Steel  occupied  a  peculiar  posi- 
tion. Thoroughly  sound  in  doctrine,  decidedly  opposed 
to  the  New  Theology,  and  never  faltering  when  anything 
was  to  be  done  which  he  could  do  for  the  interests  of 
orthodoxy,  his  kindly  and  genial  disposition,  and  friend- 


BRIEF  MEMOIRS. 


597 


liness  of  manner,  retained  the  affection  of  the  New  School 
brethren  longer  than  did  the  Old  School  men  who  lived 
in  the  city.  When  the  first  troubles  connected  with  Mr. 
Barnes  arose,  his  distance  from  the  city,  and  his  gentleness 
of  disposition,  kept  him  in  more  pleasant  relations  with 
the  New  School  brethren  than  were  the  city  pastors. 
And  when  the  second  trial  of  Mr.  Barnes  was  about  to  be 
commenced,  he  was  in  a  position  to  be  of  essential  service 
to  the  cause,  and  to  his  old  friend  and  fellow-student,  Dr. 
Junkin. 

Accordingly,  it  was  through  his  agency  that  Dr.  J.  tabled 
the  charges,  not  being  able  to  be  present  himself,  on  ac- 
count of  his  imperious  engagements  at  the  College.  A  few 
extracts  from  the  correspondence  of  Dr.  J.  and  Mr.  Steel, 
will  throw  some  additional  light  upon  the  motives  of  the 
one,  and  the  agency  of  the  other. 

In  a  letter,  dated  Lafayette  College,  March  9th,  1835, 
after  some  business  statements  relative  to  College  affairs, 
Dr.  Junkin  adds : 

"  Ought  not  Brother  Barnes  to  be  tried  on  his  Notes  on 
Romans  ?  I  have  been  reading  them.  He  is  sadly  astray. 
There  will  be  no  difficulty  in  showing  that  he  denies  the 
doctrines  of  Adam's  federal  headship,  of  Christ's  federal 
headship,  of  the  covenants  of  works  and  of  grace,  of  im- 
putation of  Adam's  sin,  and  of  Christ's  righteousness. 
He  makes  justification,  just  as  Dewy  did,  a  mere  act  of 
pardon,  and  that  a  sovereign  act,  like  the  Priestleyans. 
Christ's  obedience  to  the  law,  for  his  people,  he  never 
brings  into  view  at  all.  Man's  inability  he  seems  to  deny. 
He  sets  up  the  doctrine  of  the  Confession,  states  it  dis- 
tinctly, and  goes  on  to  refute  it. 

"  Now,  as  Mr.  Alexander  Henry  often  told  me,  this  is 
the  tender,  the  turning  point.  For  myself,  I  feel  that  he 
who  takes  from  me  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  strips  me  of 
my  hope  ;  he  who  robs  me  of  all  covenant  security  sweeps 
away  my  consolations. 

"  Will  the  church  bear  such  sacrilege?  Ought  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  to  tolerate  it  ?  Is  there  no  man  who  will 
throw  himself  into  the  breach,  and  bring  up  the  doctrinal 
question  on  its  naked  merits  ?  Has  not  God  opened  a  door 
here,  by  which  the  real  Old  School  and  the  Orthodox 
Moderates  must  both  enter  the  citadel  together,  bound, 


598 


APPENDIX. 


under  the  oath  of  God,  to  defend  it  or  to  perish  in  its 
ruins?     '  Who  is  on  the  Lord's  side?     Who?' 

"I  declare,  my  dear  brother,  the  question  is  a  solemn 
one  to  me.  I  feel  that  I  have  some  of  the  talents  necessary 
for  such  a  work  ;  I  am  conscious  that  I  lack  others.  But, 
all  things  considered,  the  question  with  me  is  not  of  ab- 
stract duty,  but  of  prudence.  Were  I  simply  a  pastor,  there 
would  be  no  question  except  this,  '  Will  no  one  else  do  it  ?' 
But  how  would  it  affect  Lafayette?  This  question  I  ought 
seriously  to  consider.  If  you  will  say  you  will  prosecute, 
you  will  put  an  end  to  my  troubles  on  the  whole  matter. 
Will  you?  If  not,  how  do  you  think  my  doing  so  would 
affect  the  College?  Brothers  Gray  and  Candee  have  given 
their  opinion  that  it  would  not  prove  injurious. 

''My  own  hope  is,  that  a  prosecution  would  lead  to  a 
settlement  of  great  principles,  and  thus  to  peace.  I  think 
it  would  unite  all  real  Presbyterians.  .  .  .  Let  me 
have  your  opinion. 

"  Your  brother, 

"  Geo.  Junkin." 

To  this  Mr.  Steele  replied  as  follows : 

"Abington,  March  nth,  1835. 

"  Dear  Brother, — The  great  importance  of  your  letter 
would  make  me  desire  more  leisure  and  consideration  to 
answer  it.  But,  as  J.  is  to  go  to  Easton  in  the  morning,  I 
will  give  you  briefly  my  views.  That  it  is  the  duty  of 
some  one  to  come  forward  and  take  the  constitutional 
steps  in  this  matter  I  cannot  doubt  for  a  moment,  from 
your  representation  of  the  dangerous  errors  contained  in 
the  book.  ...  If  I  possessed  one-half  of  the  quali- 
fications which  you  do  to  conduct  such  a  prosecution,  I 
would  feel  it  a  privilege  as  well  as  a  duty  to  go  forth  in 
the  strength  of  the  Lord  to  the  conflict.  As  to  injury  to 
Lafayette,  I  am  almost  sure  it  can  have  no  effect.  But  I 
doubt  whether,  even  if  it  were  otherwise,  you  should  hesi- 
tate for  a  moment.  Go  on,  then,  dear  brother ;  you  will 
have  the  countenance  and  the  prayers  of  hundreds,  and, 
above  all,  the  approval  of  the  Master.  I  think  if  you  can- 
not get  it  issued  before  the  Assembly,  it  might  be  well  not 
to  commence  until  after  the  Assembly. 

"  Yours  truly, 

"R.  Steel." 


BRIEF  MEMOIRS.  599 

Again,  in  a  letter  dated 

"  Philadelphia,  March  20th,  1835. 

"Dear  Brother, — The  Second  (Affinity)  Presbytery- 
have  just  determined  to  hold  their  regular  stated  meeting 
on  next  Monday  morning  at  9  o'clock.  Whether  this  was 
done  to  get  over  your  business,  I  know  not.  But  this  I 
know,  that  if  so  they  will  be  disappointed.  By  the  leave 
of  Providence,  I  will  be  here  on  Monday,  and  present  the 
charges  and  your  letter,  and  then  ask  for  the  ten  days,  to 
give  you  an  opportunity  to  come  down.  I  must  close,  but 
will  write  to  Brother  Gray  from  Abington  to-night.  Of 
course  I  cannot  be  at  David's*  ordination.  May  the  Lord 
be  with  him  and  the  Presbytery. 

"Yours  affectionatelv, 

"R.  Steel." 

Again : 

"  Philadelphia,  March  23d,  1835. 

"  Dear  Brother, — As  I  feared  and  expected,  they  have 
given  your  business  the  go-by  for  the  present.  The  gen- 
eral cry  was,  '  We  cannot  entertain  charges  when  the  accuser 
is  not  present.'  I  plead  for  a  day  to  be  named,  that  you 
might  be  present ;  but  they  refused,  and  finally  adjourned, 
to  meet  at  the  call  of  the  Moderator.  He  promised  to  let 
me  know  when  that  will  be  ;  but  I  fear  that  the  whole  will  be 
shifted  off  until  after  the  Assembly. 

"I  will  send  you  a  sketch  of  the  debate,  so  soon  as  I 
can  write  it  out.  I  think  a  good  impression  was  made. 
They  tried  to  make  out  that  your  charges  were  the  result 
of  a  caucus,  but  I  exposed  the  fallacy  of  that.  But  I  must 
close. 

"Yours  affectionately, 

"R.  Steel." 

A  week  later  he  writes  to  his  friend,  the  late  Dr.  John 
Gray,  of  Easton  : 

"  I  suppose  you  heard,  from  Dr.  Junkin,  the  result  of  the 
first  meeting  on  his  business.  The  Presbytery  is  to  meet 
again  on  Thursday  morning,  April  2d,  at  9  o'clock,.  I  un- 
derstand the  Stated  Clerk  was  requested  to  inform  Dr.  J.  of 
this   fact.      But,  lest   it   should   not  be  done,  I  deemed  it 

*  David  X.  Junkin,  at  whose  ordination  he  had  been  invited  to  assist. 


6oo  APPENDIX. 

best  to  ask  you  to  let  him  know,  as  he  will  be  expected 
by  the  Presbytery.  Although  that  body,  I  fear,  will  not 
permit  him  to  prosecute,  yet,  as  a  powerful  sensation  was 
produced  in  many  minds  by  their  refusal  to  entertain  the 
matter,  they  may  drop  all  opposition,  and  let  the  trial  go 
on  immediately.  Let  the  doctor  be  prepared,  at  any  rate. 
I  hope  you  will  come  with  him.  It  will  never  do  to  let 
him  appear  alone  among  the  new  light  brethren.  Come 
with  him  to  our  house  on  Wednesday.  ...  I  do  not 
think  I  can  venture  down  again  alone." 

In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Junkin,  dated  the  24th  of  March,  he 
gave  a  graphic  sketch  of  the  scenes  in  the  Presbytery, 
alluded  to  in  his  letter  of  the  night  before,  but  the  report 
is  too  voluminous  to  insert  here.  Dr.  Ely's  speech,  Mr. 
Barnes',  Mr.  Dodge's,  and  Mr.  Steel's  own  remarks,  are 
sketched  in  brief,  and  the  various  expedients  by  which,  as 
he  supposed,  they  sought  to  avoid  the  issue. 

In  this  whole  matter,  it  was  shown  that,  with  all  his 
kindness  of  heart  and  geniality  of  manner,  when  he  sup- 
posed God's  precious  truth  was  endangered,  Dr.  Steel  was 
firm,  zealous,  and  persistent  in  the  discharge  of  duty. 
When  Mrs.  Junkin  departed  this  life,  Dr.  Steel  addressed 
to  his  life-long  friend  a  letter  of  condolence,  of  the  ten- 
derest  character,  which  called  forth  a  response  in  which  his 
afflicted  friend  poured  forth  all  his  heart.  These  letters  are 
beautiful  specimens  of  affecting  Christian  sympathy,  but  we 
have  not  space  to  insert  them.  These  men  of  God  have 
renewed,  we  cannot  doubt,  in  the  higher  life,  that  close 
friendship  which,  for  so  many  years,  sweetened  their  cares 
in  this. 


INDEX. 


Abolition  controversy,  436. 
Academy,  Milton,  103,  105. 
Act  and  Testimony,  257. 

not  a  test,  265. 

opposed,  264. 
Address  Bible  Society,  92. 
-Afflictions,  303,  505. 
Agricultural  labor,  107,  509. 
Alarm  caused  by  acts  of  1834,  256. 
Alexander,    Dr.  A.,  359,   364,  367, 
388. 
opinion  of  Lafayette,  388. 

Dr.  J.  W.,  360,  409. 
Alleghany  City  in  18 12,  49. 
American    Board   of    Foreign    Mis- 
sions, 139;    seek  control,  225. 
Ancestry,  Dr.  Junkin's,  12,  18,  26. 
Anderson,  Dr.  W.  C,  224. 

Samuel  C,  370. 
Appeal  of  Mr.  Barnes  to  Assembly, 

3°7- 
of  Dr.  Junkin,  to  which  Synod, 

295- 
to  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  297. 
trial  of,  at  York,  301. 
sustained  by  Synod,  334. 
Argument,    Dr.   Junkin's,    in    1836, 

322. 
Armstrong,  Dr.  George,  493. 
Rev.  John,  488. 
Richard,  D.D.,  105. 
Assembly,  General : 

Acts  of  1837,  366 ;  opposition  to, 
378. 

Of    1826,   I38;    Of   I827,   211. 

of  1831,  227;  of  1832,  232. 

of  1833,  244;  of  1834,  247. 

of  1835,  272;  of  1836,  318. 

of  1837,  366;  of  1838,  389. 

of  1844,  45s;  of  1845,  469. 
of  1838,  after  division,  395. 
of  1861,  532. 
of  1862,  542. 


Assembly,  General,  omnipotence  of, 
opposed  to,  543. 
powers  of,  236,  543. 
Associate  Reformed  Church,  formed, 
26. 
mission,  plans  of,  74. 
Auchincloss,  Hugh,  349. 

Bacon,  Dr.  Leonard,  letter  of,  216. 
Baird,  Rev.  T.  D.,  224,  265,338,  364. 

Samuel  J.,  D.D.,  history  quoted, 
passim.. 
Banks,  Hon.  C,  313. 
Baptism,  Dr.  Junkin's,  29. 

lax  practice  of,  129. 
action  about,  131. 

Romish,  473. 

treatise  on,  558. 
Baptist  controversy,  109. 
Barber,  Rev.  D.  M.,  105,  128. 
Barnes,  Rev.  Albert,  145,  146. 

his  first  trial,  200. 

second  trial,  276. 

letters  concerning,  597. 

Notes  on  Romans,  276. 

pamphlet  about,  210. 

condemned  by  Synod,  307. 

publishes  defence,  308. 

refuses  to  plead,  304. 

his  vantage,  310. 

trial  before  Assembly,  319. 

his  reductio  ad  odium,  325. 

result  of  trial  accounted  for,  336. 
Barnes,  Rev.  J.  C,  416. 
Baxter,  Dr.  Geo.,  364,  368,  371,  372. 

Richard,  197. 
Beatty,  Rev.  Mr.,  226. 
Beecher,  Dr.  L.,  99,  239,  345. 
trial  of,  240. 

Rev.  Edward,  393. 
Bellville,  Rev.  J.  L.,  250. 
Beman,  Dr.  N.  S.  S.,  208,  212,  391. 

characterized,  367. 

51  (6oi) 


6o2 


INDEX. 


Beman,  Dr.  N.  S.  S.,  secret  circular 
of,  245. 

Bethune,  Dr.  G.  W.,  63. 
Mrs.,  63. 

Bible  labors  of  Dr.  Junkin,  92,  112. 
Society,  Susquehanna,  92. 

Biblical  Repertory,  261,263,363,534. 

Bishop,  Dr.,  406. 

Blackburn,  Dr.  Gideon,  221. 

Blythe,  Rev.  Dr.,  213,  268,  360. 

Board  of  Missions,  Domestic,  origin 
of,  188. 
war  on,  213. 
saved,  216. 

Board  of  Missions,  Foreign,  organ- 
ized, 376. 

Boardman,  Dr.  H.  A.,  294,  297. 

Boards,  controversy  about,  208,  275. 

Boat  on  sand-bar,  334. 

Books,  can  they  be  condemned?  202, 
238,  282. 

Bradford,  Thomas,  Esq.,  291,  293, 
297. 

Brainerd,  David,  220. 

Brandywine,  battle  of,  14. 

Breckenridge,   Dr.  John,   222,   305, 

3°7.  349.  363- 
Robert  J.,  D.D.,  219,  227,  233, 

257.  265,  365,  368. 
Dr.  W.  L.,  340. 
Breed,  Dr.  W.  P.,  566. 
Brown,  Rev.  I.  V.,  257,  265. 
his  book,  360. 
his  testimony,  393. 
John,  Ossawatomie,  511. 


Calhoun,  Rev.  Philo,  493. 
Call  to  Mercer,  81. 

to  Newburg,  72. 

to  Newville,  70. 
Calvinism  prompts  to  effort,  19. 

in  New  England,  182. 
Cameronian  eloquence,  267,  272. 
Campbell,  Dr.  A.  D.,  64,  71,  72,  224. 
Casuistry  perverted,  69. 
Cattell,  Rev.  Dr.,  487,  566. 
Chambers,    Hon.    George,    incident 
of,  17. 

Rev.  John,  74,  277. 
Characteristics  of  Assembly  of  1836, 
318. 

of  Assembly  of  1837,  368. 

of  Dr.  Junkin  as  a  preacher,  121. 

of  his  manners,  118. 

of  his  piety,  124. 


Characteristics  of  Dr.  Junkin's  pur- 
ity, 581. 

Charge  to  Mr.  Knox,  475. 

Christian  Spectator,  211. 

spirit  of  Dr.  Junkin  attested  by 
Second  Presbytery,  296 ;  by 
Mr.  Barnes,  315  ;  by  "  The 
Presbyterian,"  316. 

Church  a  missionary  society,  187. 

Cincinnati  Conference,  213,  215,  226. 

Clark,  Dr.  James,  566. 

Cleland,  Dr.,  364. 

Cleveland,  Rev.  J.  P.,  364,  367,  373, 

39°- 
Cloud,  Rev.  John,  116. 
Coffin,  J.  H.,  Prof.,  469. 
College,  Lafayette,   history  of,  115, 
150,  160. 

Washington,  482,  492,  495. 
Colonization,  452. 
"Commissions,  The  Two,"  556. 
Committee  to  confer  with  Mr.  Barnes, 
203. 

of  compromise,  246. 

of  correspondence,  1836,  449. 
work  of,  357,  359,  363. 

on  business  of  Convention,  268. 

on  doctrine,  274. 

on  Memorial,  1835,  268,  274. 
"Committeemen,"  182,  212.- 
Communion,  Catholic,  69. 
Confederate  prisoners,  labors  among, 

546,  548,  557. 
Conference,  O.  S.,  1834,257;   1836, 

348. 
Congregationalism,  origin  of,  195. 

lost  by  "  Plan  of  Union,"  181. 
Constitution  and  the  war,  561. 
Contrast,  Dr.  Ely's,  351. 
Controversy,  Baptist,  109. 

benefits  of,  399. 

evils  of,  397. 

history  of,  difficult  to  write,  8. 

Semi-Pelagian,  138. 

Socinian,  108. 
Contumacy  of  Assembly's    Presby- 
tery, 302,  304. 
Convention,  Philadelphia,  1837,  363. 

Pittsburg,  1835,  260,  267. 
prototype  of,  245. 
Covenant,  New  Year's,  119. 
Cross,  Rev.  A.  B.,-383. 
Culbertson,  Dr.  James,  268. 

Rev.  Dr.,  28". 
Cumberland  County,  birthplace,  13. 

patriotism  of,  24. 


INDEX. 


603 


Cunningham,  Win,  Prof.,  385,  416. 
Curtin,  Governor  Andrew  G.,  512. 
Cuyler,  Dr.  C.  C.,359,  364,  367,  371. 
Dr.  Theo.  L.,  416. 

Dabney,  Prof.,  493. 
Dashiel,  Rev.  Mr.,  290. 
Davidson,  Lawyer,  524. 
Debate  on  "  excision,"  372. 
Decision  of  character  not  obstinacy, 

331.434- 

Defenders  of  the  faith  apt  to  be  re- 
proached, 398. 
Delaware,  Fort,  labors  in,  557. 
Departures  from  Easton,  141,410. 
Deny,  siege  of,  12. 
Devvitt,  Dr.  W.  R.,  64. 
Dickey,  Rev.  E.,  D.D.,  75. 

Dr.  J.  Miller,  105,  118,  139. 
Dickinson,  Rev.  Baxter,  367,  371. 
Disruption  of  church  proposed,  ami- 
cable, 371. 

causes  of,  186,  357. 

history  of,  389. 
Dobbin,  Dr.  Alexander,  28. 
Doctrinal  issues  to  be  settled,  215. 
Duffield,   Dr.  George,  70,  192,  289, 
302. 

case  of,  364,  367. 
Duffield,  Rev.  G.,  Sr.,  220. 
Duncan,  Rev.  J.  M.,  75,  76. 

Easton,  second  church  of,  477. 
Ecclesiastical  organization,  223,  227. 
Education,  general,  Dr.  J.'s  labors 
in,  158,  385. 
idea  of,  153. 
philosophy  of,  159. 
zeal  for,  153. 
Education   Society,  American,   138, 

139,  185,  190,  375. 
"  Educator"  established,  384. 
Effects  of  church  controversy,  397, 

402. 
Elder  question,  457. 
Eldership,  rally  of,  364. 
"  Elective  Affinity"  Presbytery,  his- 
tory of,  228,  233,  246. 
dissolved,  376. 

Synod  of  Delaware  formed,  248. 
Elective  Affinity  principle,  tendency 

of,  250. 
Elliott,  Dr.  Charles,  485. 

estimate  of  character,  etc.,  568. 
Elliott,  Dr.  David,  273,  364,  366,  368, 
389- 


Elliott,  Dr.  David,  estimate  of  char- 
acter, labors,  etc.,  577. 

Ely,  Dr.  E.  S.,  112, 146,  201,  210,  229, 
232,  276. 

Emancipation,  446. 

Emigration  from  Ireland,  12;  from 
Cumberland,  36. 

Engles,  Joseph  P.,  71. 

Rev.  Dr.W.  M.,  71,  235,  247,365. 

Episode  in  Assembly  of  1836,  320, 

334- 
Errors  introduced,  183. 
increase,  276. 
not     generally     held    by    New 

School,  199. 
set  forth  in  Memorial,  270. 
Eustace,  Rev.  Thomas,  287. 
Ewing,   Hon.    Nathaniel,   313,    365, 

370. 
Examination    of    intrants,    right   of, 

229,  232,  275. 
Excision  of  Synods,  372. 
Experience,  Dr.  Junkin's  religious, 

47- 
Exodus  from  Virginia,  518. 
Explanations,  Mr.  Barnes',  344. 

Fairchild,  Rev.  A.  G.,  268. 
Faithfulness  of  sacred  narrative  proof 

of  inspiration,  6. 
Family,  Dr.  Junkin's,  11,  26. 

worship  enjoined,  132. 
Farm,  Turbot,  107. 
Farewell  hymn,  410. 

sermons,  141,  410. 

to  Easton,  410. 
Fasting  and  prayer,  day  of,  268. 
Father,  Dr.  Junkin's,  correspondence 
with,  43. 

early  history  of,  13. 

education  of,  24. 
Findley,  Hon.  John,  26,  36. 

letter  of,  82. 

Hon.  William,  34. 
Firmness  under  opposition,  102. 
i  Fishburn,  Clement  D.,  578. 

George,  505. 

Junius  M.,  504. 
Fisher,  Dr.  Samuel,  361. 
Flags  burned,  520. 
Francis,  Hon.  Wm.  M.,  52. 
Franklin  Society,  510. 
Free  Church  of  Scotland,  address  to 

commissioners  of,  461. 
Friendships,  seminary,  64. 
Fullerton,  Hon.  David,  365. 


604 


INDEX. 


Galloway,  Rev.  James,  47,  64,  71. 

Rev.  J.  Mason,  105,  117. 
Gaston,  Rev.  Daniel,  105,  115. 
Gazley,  Rev.  Sayers,  250. 
George,  Archibald,  268,  313. 
Germantown,  Dr.  Junkin  arrives  at, 

142 ;  leaves,  144. 
Gilbert,  Rev.  Dr.,  247. 
Gillett's  History  quoted,  passim. 
Graham,  Rev.  Wm.,  22. 
Gray,  Rev.  Dr.  James,  57. 

Rev.  Dr.  John,  404. 
Green,    Dr.   Ashbel,   202,    247,   254, 

268,  368. 

Handy,  Dr.,  557. 
Hepburn,  J.  C,  M.D.,  105,  117. 
"  Heresy,"  the  word  claimed  to  be 
essential  in  charges,  289,  292. 

this  position  denied,  289,  292, 
Hill,  Major-General  D.  H.,  493. 

Rev.  Dr.,  273. 
Hillyer,  Rev.  Dr.,  214. 
History  of  Barnes'  second  trial,  277. 

of  missions  in  church,  188. 

of  the  Barnes  troubles,  200. 
Hoff,  Rev.  Brogun,  146. 
Hoge,  Dr.  James,  317,  340. 
Home    Missionary    Society,    Amer- 
ican, 138,  185,  208,  213. 

deprecated  by  Assembly,  375. 
Hood,  Rev.  Thomas,  87,  89. 
Hope  Mills,  36,  38. 
Hopkinsianism,  198. 
Humble  labors,  559. 
Hyer,  Garrett,  62. 

Inauguration,  Oxford,  416;  Lexing- 
ton, 490. 

Independence,  incidents  of,  238. 

Indians,  struggle  with,  21 ;  escapes 
from,  22. 

Installation  at  Milton,  89. 

Integrity  of  national  union  vs.  aboli- 
tion, 440. 

Jackson,  General  Thomas  J.,  496, 
5°3.  552,  553;  cane,  at  Get- 
tysburg, 550;  letter  to  Dr. 
Junkin,  553. 

Jefferson  College,  origin  of,  41. 
Mr.  Junkin  enters,  40. 

Jessup,  Colonel  William,  215,  367, 
371,  372. 

Johns,  Dr.  H.  V.  D.,  416. 

Journey  to  New  York  in  1813,  59. 


Junkin,  Hon.  Benjamin,  26,  455. 
Junkin,  D.  X.,  26,  50,  117,  130,  143, 
320. 

interview  with  Dr.  Beecher,  345. 

labors  in  education,  385. 
Junkin,  E.  D.,  Rev.,  496,  502,  504, 

S°7- 
Junkin,  Dr.  George: 

address  of,  at  Rutgers  College, 
508. 

argument  in  Assembly  of  1836, 
322. 
characterized,  352. 

as  an  agriculturalist,  107,  509. 

as  a  debater,  369. 

as  an  educator,  506. 

as  a  preacher,  540. 

author  of  Memorial  of  1835,  268. 

award  in  favor  of,  490. 

baccalaureates,  433. 

baptism,  29. 

birth,  23. 

called  to  Newville,  70 ;  to  New- 
burg,  72;  to  Milton,  88;  to 
Mercer,  81 ;  to  Manual  Labor 
Academy,  140;  to  Lafayette 
College,  150;  to  Miami  Uni- 
versity, 407,  412  ;  to  Lafayette 
College,  467  ;  to  Washington 
College,  482. 

Canal  Street  Church,  supplies, 

545- 

Christian  spirit  attested  by  Sec- 
ond Presbytery,  296  ;  by  Mr. 
Barnes,  315  ;  by  "  The  Presby- 
terian," 316. 

college  labors,  404. 

"  Commissions,  The  Two,"  556 

complaint  against  Second  Pres- 
bytery, 285. 

death,  565. 

"  Declaration  and  Testimony' 
men,  views  of,  543. 

disadvantages  in  the  Barnes 
trial,  310. 

documents  written  by,  231,  235. 

exodus  from  Virginia,  518. 

fairness  in  the  Barnes  trial,  291. 

fellowship  with  brother  minis- 
ters, 507. 

funeral,  567. 

Hebrews,  work  on,  564. 

in  Assembly  of  1835,  272. 

1836,  319. 

1837,  369- 
1862,  542. 


INDEX. 


605 


Junkin,    Dr.    George,   in   Synod   at 
York,  301. 
in  Synod  of  New  Jersey,  396. 
itinerates,  70. 

joins  North  Presbytery,  94. 
labors  among  Confederate  pris- 
oners, 548,  550,    557. 
for    the    Union,    512,    545, 

546. 
in  college,  151. 
in  education  cause,  384. 
in  hospitals,  548,  557. 
in  pulpit,  435,  540. 
LL.D.,  Rutgers  College,  508. 
Magdalen,  labors  at,  559-565. 
Moderator  of  Synod,  228,  234. 

of  Assembly,  455. 
object   in   the    Barnes   trial  at- 
tained, 344. 
obnoxious  to  New  School,  and 

why,  185. 
opens  Assembly  of  1845,  469. 
parliamentary  tact,  273. 
patriotic  labors,  545,  546. 
persecutions,  312. 
preaching     continuously,     540, 

559- 
purity  of  character,  581. 
rather  be   right   than    popular, 

186. 
refuses  to  publish  his  argument 

pending  the  Barnes  trial,  308. 
reported  death,  415. 
residence  in  Philadelphia,  527. 
resigns  at  Lafayette  College,  484. 
at  Washington  College,  524. 
reunion  meeting  with  brothers, 

55S. 
Sanctification,  work  on,  558. 
speech  on  abolition,  446. 
Vindication,  308. 
visits  birthplace,  536,  539. 
war,  relations  to  civil,  524,  561, 

562. 
Washington,  administration  of, 

494- 
Widows'  Asylum,  labors  in,  559, 

565. 
Junkin,  Captain  John,  26,  36,  52. 
Junkin,  John  Miller,  M.D.,  493,  496. 
Junkin,  Joseph,  1st,  11. 
death  of,  28. 
Joseph,  2d  (the  father),  13,  22. 
Joseph,  3d,  26,  46. 
Joseph,  4th  (son  of  Dr.),  484, 
493.  494- 


Junkin,  Julia  R.,  57,  77,  85,  118. 

death  of,  497. 
Justification,  Junkin  on,  383. 

Kennedy,  Hon.  James,  313. 
Kincaid,  Rev.  Dr.  E.,  109. 
Kingsbury,  Rev.  Mr.,  375. 
Kirk,  Dr.  E.  N.,  214. 
Kirkpatrick,  Dr.  David,  103,  133. 
Knox,  Rev.,  J.  H.  Mason,  D.D.,  349, 

473.  4_86- 
Memorial  sermon,  527-532. 
Knox,  Rev.  John,  D.D.,  57,  64,  542. 
Kuhn,  Prof.  James  I.,  152,  388. 

Lafayette  College,  origin  of,  115; 
Mr.  Junkin  elected  president, 
150;  struggles  and  difficulties, 
381,407,  479;  in  1844,  369. 

Laird,  Rev.  Matthew,  105,  114,  116. 

Lane  Seminary,  239. 

Latta,  Dr.  Wm.,  203,  317,  368. 

Leach,  Rev.  Mr.,  272. 

Lenox,  James,  Esq.,  268,  313,  340, 
349.  370. 
Robert,  Esq.,  361. 

Letters,  files  of,  65. 

of  Rev.  J.  W.  Moore,  121  ; 
Joseph  Junkin,  Sr.,  43;  George 
Junkin,  53;  J.  Findley,  82;  Mr. 
Junkin  to  Milton  Church,  82; 
to  a  physician,  101,  133  ;  of  Dr. 
Bacon,  216;  to  Princeton  pro- 
fessors, 262  ;  Dr.  Junkin  to  Mr. 
Barnes,  278  ;  Mr.  Barnes  to  Dr. 
Junkin,  280;  Dr.  Junkin  to 
Second  Presbytery  of  Philadel- 
phia, 282;  Br.  junkin  to  Mr. 
Grant,  286 ;  Mr.  Eustace  to  Dr. 
Junkin,  287;  Dr.  Junkin  to  Mr. 
Grant,  297 ;  Dr.  Duffield  to 
Synod  of  Philadelphia,  302  ;  Mr. 
Eustace  to  Dr.  Junkin,  303  ;  to 
the  Presbyterian,  from  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Synod  of  New  Jersey, 
313;  to  the  churches  of  Christ 
throughout  the  world,  by  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  1837,  377 ; 
Dr.  Junkin  to  Mr.  Steel,  382 ; 
Dr.  Junkin  to  Mrs.  Presion,  501, 
505  ;  to  E.  D.  junkin,  506  ;  Dr. 
Junkin  to  Governor  Curtin,  512  ; 
Hon.  Eli  K.  Price  to  Dr.  junkin, 
515  ;  from  Faculty  of  Washing- 
ton College,  524  ;  Gen.  Jackson 
to  Dr.  Junkin,  553. 


6o6 


INDEX. 


License  refused  and  granted,  68. 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  opinion  of,  443, 

514.  546- 
Lindsley,  Dr.  Philip,  273. 
Lord,  Dr.  J.  C,  473. 
Lowrey,  John,  557. 
Lowrie,  Hon.  Walter,  370. 
Lowry,  Rev.  A.  M.,  488. 

McAuley,  Dr.  Thomas,  224,  367. 
McCalla,    Rev.    W.    L.,    203,    210, 
218,  244,  247,  and  Appendix, 
586. 
McCartee,  Dr.  Robert,  62. 
McCartnev,  Hon.  Washington,  469. 
McCay,  C.  F.,  LL.D.,  104,  143. 
MacDill,  Rev.  Dr.,  64. 
McDonough,  Commodore,  his  fleet, 
72. 
John,  of  New  Orleans,  442. 
McDowell,  Dr.  John,  223. 

Dr.  William  A.,  273,  349. 
McElroy,  Joseph,  D.D.,  60,  64,  66, 

69.  7°.  34°.  349.  541- 
McFarland,   Dr.   Francis,   349,   363, 

S07.  524- 
McGill,  Dr.  A.  T.,  473. 
McKeen,  Henry,  Esq.,  200,  597. 

Thomas,  Esq.,  317. 
McKinney,  David,  D.D.,  317. 
McLean,    Dr.   Charles   G.,    57,  64, 

83- 
McMillan,  Dr.  John,  40,  47. 
McPherson  (Elder),  268. 
Magdalen,  labors  at,  559. 
Magraw,  Dr.  James,  268. 
Manual  Labor  Academy,  system  of, 

Dr.    Junkin    chosen    principal, 
140. 

embarrassments  of,  142. 
Marr,  Rev.  Phineas  B.r  105. 
Marriage  engagement,  77  ;  consum- 
mated, 85. 

of  the  father,  17. 

of  sisters,  48. 
Marshall,  Dr.  George,  105. 
Martyrdom  without  the  stake,  311. 
Mason,  Dr.  Erskine,  362,  390. 
Mason,   T.  M.,  D.D.,  characterized, 
60,  64. 

his  method  of  instruction,  60. 

Mr.  Junkin  enters  his  seminary, 

52. 
visits  Europe,  66. 
Mather,  Increase,  197. 


Matthew  xviii.  15,   16,  meaning  of, 

290. 
Matthews,  Dr.  J.  M.,  60. 
Mercer  Blues,  49. 
Memorial   and   Testimony  of  1837, 

3°5. 
on  missions,  213. 
Pittsburg,  1835,  269,  273. 
Western,  its  history,  250. 
its  treatment,  253. 
Methodists  and  Ohio  Colleges,  423. 
Miami  University  founded,  406. 
controversy,  421. 
discipline  in,  420. 
Dr.   Junkin    elected    president, 
407,  412. 
"  Middle  men,"  245,  263. 
Miller,  John,  Esq.,  sketch  of,  85. 
Miller,   Dr.  Samuel,   224,  337,  338, 

3°3- 
report  on  Barnes'  case,  206. 
testimony  in  court,  392. 
Miller,  Dr.  Samuel,  Jr.,  496. 
Milton,  Pa.,  installed  at,  89. 
letter  to,  82. 
parting  scenes,  141. 
pastorate,  87,  92,  94. 
state  of  religion  at,  88. 
visit  to,  79. 
Milton  Academy,  103. 
Missionary  Societies: 

American  Board,  139,  221. 
United  Foreign,  221. 
Western,  Foreign,  formed,  224. 
Missions,  Domestic,  Board  of,  origin 
of,  188. 
war  upon,  213. 
Foreign,  history  of,  220. 

conflicting  views  about,  220. 
Montfort,  Elder  John,  250. 

Rev.  Francis,  250. 
Montgomery,  Gen.  Daniel,  23,  92. 

Rev.  Dr.,  268. 
Moore,  Rev.  J.  W.,  105,  121. 
Moral  law,  417. 
Morrison,  Rev.  James,  507. 
Mother  of  Dr.  Junkin,  her  parentage, 
15 ;     education,     24 ;     escape 
from     massacre,    15 ;     peace- 
maker,   25 ;     religious    influ- 
ence, 35 ;  death,  50. 
Motives  not  to  be  impeached,  324, 
336- 

Navarino,  battle  of,  125. 
Neill,  Rev.  Wm,  D.D.,  148. 


INDEX. 


607 


Nevin,  Dr.  Alfred,  518. 

Nevins,  Dr.  Wm.,  222. 

New  Divinity,  rise  and  progress,  183. 

New  England  once  Calvinistic,  182. 

preachers  from,  184. 
"New  measures,"  186. 
"New   School"   leaders   Congrega- 

tionalists,  192. 
Newton,  Rev.  Thomas,  353. 

estimate  of  character,  etc.,  570- 

.575- 

Newville,    residence   at,   33 ;    called 
to,  70. 

Niagara,  incident  of,  45. 

"  No  !"  the  one,  273. 

Normal    School,    Dr.  Junkin's,   the 
first,  386,  405. 

Northumberland  Missionary  Society, 
129. 

Northumberland     Presbytery,     Mr. 
Junkin  joins,  94. 
resolutions  of,  131. 

"  Northwestern    Presbyterian,"   arti- 
cles in,  543. 

Notes  on  Romans  quoted,  342. 

Object  of  the  Barnes  trial  attained, 

344- 
Objections  to  Dr.  Junkin  as  prose- 
cutor, 290. 
answered,  328. 
"  Old  School"  lacked  tact,  211 ;  dif- 
fered about  measures,  359. 
Oliver,  Captain  Walter,  46,  160. 
Opinion,  history  of,  important,  194. 
Ordination,  Mr.  Junkin's,  75. 
question,  457. 
vows,  76. 
Owen,  Ruling  Elder,  268. 

Painter,  Dr.  Joseph,  133. 
Parke,  Mrs.  Dr.,  120. 
Parting  from  Milton,  141. 

last,  from  Lafayette,  485. 

of  the  brothers,  52. 
Pastoral  habits,  113. 

letter  of  Assembly  of  1838,  395. 
Pastorate  at  Milton,  87,  97. 
Patriotism,  14,  46,  518,  542,  545. 
Patterson,  Rev.  J.  B.,  87,  133,  292. 

Rev.  James,  248. 
Paul    and    Payson    had    the   same 

grace,  6. 
Paxton  Boys,  21. 

Peace  and  purity  from  agitation,  354. 
Perils  of  frontier  life,  30. 


Persecution  for  prosecution,  312. 
Peters,  Dr.  Absalom,  208,  215,  334, 

336. 
Philadelphia  in  1817,  74. 

Mr.  Junkin's  first  field,  74. 
Mr.  Junkin's  first  visit  to,  57. 
"  Philadelphian,"  210,  213. 
Phillips,  Dr.  W.  W.,  64, 72,  268,  272, 

318,  347,  349,  542. 
Physician,  letters  to  a,  134. 
Pioneer,  reminiscences  of  a,  121. 
Pittsburg   Convention,  extract  from 

minutes  of,  586. 
Placard  on  watch-boxes,  284. 
Plan  of  Union,  139,  181,  184,  275; 

abrogated,  370. 
Plumer,  Dr.  Wm.  S.,  368. 
"  Political  Fallacies,"  533-535,  546- 

548. 
Politics  in  school,  32. 
Potts,  Dr.  George,  349,  365. 
Pratt,  Rev.  H.  S.,  364. 
Prayer-meetings,  the  first,  62,  90. 
Preachers,  early,  of  Cumberland,  27, 

35- 
Preachings  of  Dr.  Junkin,  84,  95, 148. 
Predestination,  the  father's  letter  on, 

44. 
"  Presbyterian,"  origin  of,  210. 
Presbyterians  and  Quakers,  20. 

none  of  the  former  Tories,  23. 
of  England,  196. 
Presbytery  of  Monongahela,  68,  81. 
of  New  Brunswick,  361. 
of  Newton's  letter  to  Princeton, 

261. 
the  Assembly's  Second  formed, 

233- 
nullifies  acts  of  Synod,  247. 
sustained  by  Assembly  of 
1834,  248. 
Press  vs.  Old  School,  211,  307. 
Preston,  Rev.  D.  R.,  257. 
Col.  J.  T.  L.,  504. 
Mrs.  M.  J.,  505. 
Price,  Eli  K.,  Esq.,  letter  of,  515. 
Priestley,  Dr.,  64. 
Princeton  professors,  letter  to,  261. 
their  position,  360. 
deputation  to,  359. 
Prophecy    studied    and    explained, 

125  ;  lectures  on,  414. 
Protest   against  action  on   Western 
Memorial,  254. 
against  acts  of  Assembly  of  1837, 
375- 


6o8 


INDEX. 


Protest  anent  Western  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society,  348. 

on  Barnes'  acquittal,  339. 

on  elective  affinity,  249. 
Proudfit,  Rev.  Mr.,  72. 

Quaker  policy  with  Indians,  21. 
Quakers  and  Presbyterians,  20. 

Ramsey,  Dr.  James,  41. 
Dr.  James  B.,  485. 
Rankin,  Henry,  Esq.,  349. 
Reductio  ad  odium,  Mr.  Barnes',  325. 

Dr.  Junkin's  answer  to,  325. 
Reform,  97;  of  1828,  128. 
Religion  not  to  blame  for  the  faults 

of  its  professors,  306. 
"  Religious  Farmer,"  no. 
Reply  to  protest  in  Barnes'  case,  341. 
Report  of  Committee  on  Memorial, 

269. 
Resolution  of  Dr.  Miller  on  Barnes' 
case,  338. 
of  Dr.  Skinner  on  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, 347. 
Resolutions    of    General    Assembly 
concerning  death  of  Dr.  Jun- 
kin,  579. 
of  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publi- 
cation, 580. 
of  Trustees  of  Lafayette  College, 
580. 
Revolutionary  services  of  the  father, 

14- 
Rice,  Dr.  J.  H.,  222. 

Dr.  N.  L.,  473. 
Richards,  Rev.  Dr.,  214. 
Ritner,  Governor,  33. 
Ross,  Dr.  F.  A.,  215. 
Rule  of  interpretation,  55,  331. 
Ruse  of  Dr.  Ely,  305. 

of  Second  Presbytery,  302,  305. 
Rush,  Dr.  Benjamin,  85. 

Sabbath,  labors  in  behalf  of,  560. 

the  physician's,  136. 
Sabbath-school,  first  in  New  York,  63. 

schools  organized,  90. 
Sabbatismos,  561. 
Scholarship,  standard  of,  high,  432. 
School  system  of  Pennsylvania,  Dr. 
Junkin  one  of  its  founders,  158. 
ScQtch-Irish,  characteristics  of,  19. 

friends  of  education,  24. 

no  Tories  among  them,  23, 

Quakers  jealous  of,  20, 


Scotch-Irish  the  frontiersmen,  19. 
Seminary,    theological,    a   new    Old 
School  one  proposed,  356. 

Union,  founded,  361. 
Sermon,  Dr.  Junkin's  before  General 
Assembly,  470. 

Dr.  Junkin's  last,  564,  565. 

memorial,  Dr.  Knox's,  528. 
Session,  church,  hold  the  keys,  131. 
Seward,  Rev.  Mr.,  catechised,  373. 
Sheddan,  Dr.  S.  S.,  105. 
Sickness  of  Dr.  Junkin,  113. 
Skinner,  Dr.  T.  H.,  230,  347,  362. 
Slavery  in  Assembly  of  1845,  474. 
Slidell,  John,  60. 

A.  "McK.,  68. 
Smyth,  Dr.  Thomas,  365. 
Socinianism,  183. 
Spring  resolutions,  533. 
Sproull,  Rev.  A.  W.,  487. 
Squier,  Rev.  Miles  P.,  390. 
Steel,   Rev.    Robert,   D.D.,  64,  140, 
237,  281,  and  Appendix,  594. 

son  drowned,  482. 
Stevens,  Hon.  T.,  159,  160. 
Stille,  John,  Esq.,  297,  313. 
Stoever,  Prof.  M.  L.,  549. 

letter,  etc.,  575. 
Students  of  Lafayette  commended, 

156. 
Swift,  Dr.  E.  P.,  223,  224. 
Sympathy  for  Mr.  Barnes,  311. 
Synod  of  Delaware  formed,  248. 
is  dissolved,  276. 

of  New  Jersey,  after  division, 
396. 

of  Philadelphia,  200,  228,  233. 

of  Pittsburg,  and  missions,  224. 
Synods  of  Western  Reserve,  Geneva, 
Utica,  and  Genesee  declared 
extra  ecclesiam,  372,  375. 

"Tabernacle,"  treatise  on,  559. 

Tait,  Rev.  Samuel,  39. 

Tappan,  Arthur,  229. 

Taylor,  Dr.,  198. 

Temperance  labors,  91,  98,  508,  560. 

resolve,  70. 
Testimonials,  Easton  meeting,  388. 

of  individuals,  568,  575,  576,  577. 

of  public  bodies,  579,  580. 
Testimony    against    error   adopted, 

376. 
Thayer,  Dr.,  541. 
Thornwell,  Dr.  T.  H.,  473. 
Tod,  Governor,  542. 


INDEX. 


609 


Toleration  of  error,  256. 

Tornado,  126. 

Tract  labors,  94,  112. 

Tragedy  of  Cumberland,  31. 

Trial,  Mr.  Barnes'  first,  146  ;  second, 
277 ;  arrested,  293  ;  proceeds, 
294 ;  before  Synod,  301 ;  before 
General  Assembly,  319 ;  result 
of,  explained,  334,  336. 

Trials  cannot  be  begun  by  letter,  285. 
must  be  of  the  author,  not  of  a 
book,  238,  282. 

Truth  and  freedom,  470. 

Union  of  Associate  Reformed  and 
Presbyterian  Churches,  93. 

of  States,  Dr.  Junkin's  labors  and 
speeches  for,  512,  517,  546. 

of  two  branches  by  Mr.  Barnes' 
trial,  356. 

of  two  branches  of  church,  563, 

f  .      S83- 
Unitarian  controversy,  109. 
Unity  in  the  truth  Dr.  Junkin's  aim, 
356. 

Van  Rensselaer,  Dr.  C,  116. 
Van  Vechten,  Rev.  Dr.,  64. 
Vices,  popular,  resisted,  102. 
Vindication  book,  308. 

quotations  from,  277. 

things  necessary  to  Dr.  Junkin's, 
200. 
Virginia,  secession  of,  516. 

what  Dr.  Junkin  left  in,  517. 
Voluntary  societies,  191. 


"Wall  Street  Church,  73. 
Wallace,  Rev.  R.  M.,  487. 

character,  etc.,  576. 

estimate  of,  556. 
War,   civil,   and    Dr.   Junkin,    509, 
545- 

for  Union,  Dr.  Junkin  approves 
of.  545-  546,  561- 

of  Independence,  31. 

of  1812,  46,  49. 
Washington,  George,  483, 
Washington  College,  482,  492,  495. 

action  of  its  Faculty,  522, 
Watts,  Dr.  Robert,  485,  487. 
Weir,  Silas  E.,  73. 
Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society, 

224,  346. 
White,  Dr.  Henry,  362.    " 

Dr.  Wm.  S.,  496. 
Widows'    Asylum,    labors    in,    559, 

565- 
Wilson,    Dr.   Joshua   L.,    265,  268, 

351- 

prosecutes  Beech  er,  240. 
Winchester,  Rev.  S.  G.,  284. 
Wisner,  Rev.  Dr.  William,  274. 
Witherspoon,  Dr.  John,  268. 

Moderator,  318. 
Wolf,  Gov.  George,  159, 
Wolff,  Dr.  Bernard  C,  414. 
Wray,  Robert,  268. 
Wylie,  Rev.  Wm.,  257. 

Yeomans,  Dr.  J.  W.,  409,  465. 

Zeal,  Dr.  Junkin's,  for  education,  153. 


THE  END. 


